Patience is a virtue and one man is being rewarded for his composure following a recent New England Patriots game.
Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft extended an invitation to fan Jerry Edmond, who was on the receiving end of a verbal assault following New England’s last-second loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday.
In a now-viral video, a Raiders fan wearing a Derek Carr jersey berated the calm Edmond before a second fan embraced the woman during the tense exchange
Kraft personally offered Edmond a ticket to the Patriots’ game against the Bengals on Dec. 24 along with a personalized jersey and pregame passes at Gillette Stadium.
Edmond, who was attending his first-ever NFL game, explained why he stood silently throughout the encounter.
“I didn’t want to ruin my experience by retaliating towards those women so I kept my cool,” Edmond said.
Edmond reportedly flew out to Vegas for the game and was expecting some “flack from Raiders fans” but got more than he expected.
On Wednesday, Raiders’ President Sandra Douglass Morgan praised Edmond’s exceptional behavior.
“On behalf of the Raiders, we appreciate the way you conducted yourself. No fan should have to endure that type of behavior. We will be in touch,” said Douglass Morgan.
Edmond joined Brian Babz, the man who initially posted the video, on an Instagram live chat where he recalled the game and what led to the bizarre outburst.
“For the most part of the first half I was silent because the Raiders were up. They were already chirping and I guess one of the things I said that got her to come towards me was every time (quarterback) Derek Carr messed up, I’d scream ‘That’s the Derek Carr I know.'”
Kraft’s invite to Saturday’s game isn’t the only NFL game in Edmond’s future, as ticket provider TickPick has offered tickets to another game.
“Let us know if there’s another NFL game you want to attend in the future,” The third-party ticket resale company said. “We got you on tickets.”
Babz responded to TickPick saying “Heard there’s a big game being held in Glendale Arizona this February.”
Edmond accepted the invitation and will be on hand to watch the eighth-place Patriots’ latest attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive.
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