By Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A Seattle Seahawks fan who caught the football hurled into the stands by Jermaine Kearse in celebration of his game-winning pass reception has rebuffed a $20,000 offer for the ball in hopes of trading it instead for a Super Bowl ticket, local media reported.
Quarterback Russell Wilson fired a 35-yard touchdown strike to Kearse in overtime on Sunday to give the Seahawks a stunning 28-22 comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers and seal a return trip to the Super Bowl. They will play the New England Patriots in the Feb. 1 National Football League title game.
On Monday, the wide receiver called the Washington state man who grabbed the winning pigskin in the stands and asked for the ball back as a keepsake, offering to exchange a game jersey and a helmet signed by the team, local media reported.
"And then he asked me what (else) I wanted for the ball," Scott Shelton, of Monroe, was quoted by broadcaster KOMO as recounting of his conversation with Kearse. "And I said, 'Honestly, it would be nice to go see you guys whip New England in the Super Bowl.' So he's going to see what he can do about that."
Neither Shelton nor the Seahawks immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment.
Shelton, a father of two, also stipulated that he would only give up the ball if it goes to Kearse and said that he already had turned down a memorabilia collector's offer of $20,000, KOMO reported. Shelton told KIRO he was not sure about giving up the ball and would like a trip to the Super Bowl in Arizona.
Kearse told reporters on Monday that throwing the ball into the stands after his winning catch was an act of impulse, a kind of release from frustration after the team had struggled earlier in the game. "It's just something that happened in the moment," he said.