Julian Edelman apparently does not pass up an opportunity to play catch, especially when it’s with four of his biggest fans.
Video shared with NBC10 Boston shows the New England Patriots star surprising a group of youngsters on Cape Cod by stopping to toss a football with them before attending a Best Buddies charity event on Sunday.
The moment was captured by Jeff Anagonas, whose Barnstable vacation home is located near the site of the annual charity event. The New York resident said his children and their friends had heard Patriots players might attend and started playing catch in Patriots gear.
“Edelman is my hero for doing what he did for those kids,” Anagonas said. “It was awesome that he could acknowledge them like that.”
The Super Bowl LIII MVP also didn’t leave the youngsters empty-handed, signing their footballs and jerseys for the boys, who are in fifth grade.
“The kids went nuts. They were bouncing off the wall,” said Anagonas.
The annual Best Buddies Challenge was held to raise funds to support people with developmental disabilities. The multiple-day event, which drew thousands of participants, began Friday with the Tom Brady Football Challenge at Harvard Stadium in Boston.
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Participants on Saturday biked to Hyannis Port and enjoyed a food festival Sunday, at which celebrity chef Guy Fieri made an appearance.
Anagonas, who called Edelman “an inspiration,” said the gesture made a lasting impression on the boys.
“My kids have made it perfectly clear this is an annual event” to attend, he said.