10-year-old Jaden Watts and his grandmother Saundra got quite the surprise when two NFL players randomly offered to buy the child an Xbox. Why did they do it? Jaden was wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. The Washington Post reports:
When they entered GameStop, Jaden introduced Saundra to the two men in shorts and T-shirts who had made the generous offer: Washington Redskins running backs Keith Marshall and Rob Kelley.
“Is it okay if we buy your son an Xbox?” Marshall asked Saundra, who was flattered Marshall thought she was Jaden’s mom. “I was like, ‘Really?’ Now mind you, I didn’t know they were Redskins, and neither did Jaden.”
Jaden said Marshall and Kelley had complimented him on his Colin Kaepernick 49ers jersey when he walked into the video game store to inquire about the price of the Xbox One. Kelley said Marshall overheard Jaden mention something about saving up to buy the video game console and Marshall asked his teammate if he was interested in pitching in to buy it for him.
Saundra didn’t know who the men were and was initially suspicious. However, Jaden was soon going home with his brand new Xbox One. In an interview with WaPo, Jaden explained why he wore the jersey:
“I liked how he wasn’t afraid to show what he thought,” Jaden, who is African American, said in a phone interview Thursday of Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality last season. “He risked getting fired, which was a big thing. I wouldn’t even do that, but he did, and I really like him for standing out. I don’t know if people agree with it, but he just doesn’t care what people say and that’s inspired me and probably inspired other people.”
Sounds like they picked a great kid to give this once-in-a-lifetime experience! Happy birthday to Jaden.