Aussie NFL star Jordan Mailata’s parents fly 16,000km to see him play for the first time EVER – only for fans of their son’s team to apologize to them after they suffer their worst loss of the season
- Mailata’s father Tupa’i and mother Maria flew 16,000km to see him play
- Ended up witnessing the Philadelphia Eagles’ worst loss of the season
- Philly fans apologized to them for the display as they lashed out at the team
Finally getting his parents to come halfway around the world to see him play in the NFL for the first time should have been a lifetime highlight for Aussie gridiron star Jordan Mailata – but instead it turned into something of a nightmare.
The former NRL player’s Philadelphia Eagles laid an egg of epic proportions as they were beaten 20-10 by the heavy underdog New Orleans Saints on Sunday, local time – and fans were so embarrassed that they apologized to the Australian’s mum and dad.
Mailata’s father Tupa’i and mother Maria never had the chance to see their boy play in the NFL, which he joined in the 2018 draft before stunning fans and experts by becoming one of the best in the league at his position, left tackle.
The demands of getting up to speed despite never having played the game before the Eagles selected him, Covid travel restrictions – and the huge 16,000km trip from his home town of Sydney – meant Mailata stayed separated from his parents for three years.
Mailata hadn’t seen his parents (pictured together) for three years thanks to Covid travel restrictions and the long trip from Australia to Philadelphia – but their reunion didn’t go according to plan
The gigantic Australian (right) cut a lonely figure on the Eagles bench after their upset loss to the New Orleans Saints
That ended late last week, when Tupa’i and Maria made it to Philadelphia, with the city anticipating the Eagles making a strong run at a second Super Bowl title after being the NFL’s best team for long stretches of the season.
The Saints were supposed to be easybeats, prompting Mailata to say before the game: ‘I hope the Linc [Lincoln Field, Philadelphia’s home ground] can give them a good experience, hopefully not too many boos. That would be great for my parents’ home game.’
Instead, the Eagles left the field to a chorus of boos after the loss, which saw them kept scoreless in the first half for the only time this season.
The defeat means they missed out on securing the vital No. 1 seed for the playoffs, which would have guaranteed them home-field advantage in the post-season – and the famously blunt Eagles fans didn’t hold back with their criticism.
‘Sorry to your family @jordan_mailata they had to watch Minshew today. Please have them come back when Hurts is playing,’ tweeted one fan, alluding to backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, who played badly in the absence of regular QB Jalen Hurts.
‘@Eagles if you think you feel bad imagine being Jordan Mailata’s family flying in from Australia to watch that awful game,’ wrote another Philly diehard.
Tupa’i and Maria Mailata had great seats as they watched their son play an NFL game for the first time. What they saw on the field was not so great, however
Eagles fans – who aren’t known for holding back when they criticize their team – apologized to Mailata’s parents for the shocking loss
‘Honestly who I feel the worst for is @jordan_mailata’s family. Showed up to their first Eagles game and had to watch that. Wish it was a better experience for them,’ another fan added.
‘Yall are doing this in front of Jordan Mailata’s parents, how dare you,’ wrote Brooke Destra.
To make matters worse for Mailata, many fans said he should have been called for a crucial holding penalty that negated a touchdown run – instead of his fellow offensive lineman Landon Dickerson, who was incorrectly flagged on the play.
After the match the 166kg lineman was blunt about what the defeat meant for the team.
‘Losses will always expose the foundation of a team,’ he said.
‘If a sense of accountability isn’t there from the team as a whole when we watch that film, then f**k, we’ve just wasted a whole season.’
The Eagles face the New York Giants in their last regular-season game next Sunday and can still secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed if they win and the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers lose.
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