The Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Carolina Panthers last week may not have been the closest call on the field.
After the defending Super Bowl champions edged the Panthers, 30-27, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Nov. 24, a little boy fell out of the stands as he approached Chiefs players walking off the field.
Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was approaching the tunnel to leave the field with his teammates when the boy, sporting a jersey of Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, flipped over. Wharton caught him and put him back in the stands.
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“I would say it's natural reaction. I heard my name a little bit and when I heard my name, I seen him coming down. I just had to kind of like push him into the stands a little bit to make sure he didn't hit too hard,” he said Nov. 26 on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I kind of grabbed him right by the back of his back and kind of like pushed him into the stands a little bit more,” he added.
Wharton said he didn’t meet the boy, but wants to invite him to a future Chiefs game.
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“I haven’t, but I would like to reach out to him, get him to a game, be able to reflect with him a little more, if I could,” he said.
Wharton, 26, is in his fifth season with the Chiefs. He signed with the team in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri S&T.
The Chiefs improved to 10-1 with their win over the Panthers. They next play Nov. 29 when they host their AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders in a game that can be seen on Prime Video at 3 p.m. ET.
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