It’s tough to blame Mecole Hardman for losing track of the football he caught for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning touchdown. The fifth-year receiver said after the game that he “blacked out” as soon as he caught the ball, and that would be just about anyone’s reaction in such an emotional moment.
After the confetti fell and the dust settled, though, some started to ask the question: “Where is the game ball?”
Hardman tossed the ball away almost as soon as the officials’ arms went up to signal a championship-winning touchdown. The CBS broadcast didn’t show where the ball ended up or who scooped it up.
“It’s gone. Hopefully I can find it, man. I hope they know the number of it,” Hardman said after the game Sunday.
The 25-year-old wide receiver clearly wasn’t lying when he said he blacked out as soon as he caught the touchdown — Hardman initially claimed someone knocked the ball out of his hand, but video shows him tossing it away without anyone else near him.
The story of the ball’s 48-hour journey back to Hardman’s hands might surface one day, but as of Tuesday night, it’s safely back in the receiver’s possession. Hardman showed off the ball on his Instagram story Tuesday, tagging Patrick Mahomes in hopes his quarterback will sign it.
“The game ball is here baby!” Hardman exclaimed as he showed off the ball’s Super Bowl 58 logo. “Sign and date this thing, baby!”
.@MecoleHardman4 finally got the ball from his game-winning overtime TD in #SBLVIII 🥹🏈 (via @NFLonCBS) pic.twitter.com/e50hfilPYC
— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2024
Hardman won two championship with the Chiefs before Sunday’s historic touchdown, but his journey to Super Bowl hero is still a fascinating one. The 25-year-old speedster began the season in a Jets uniform and played just one offensive snap in the AFC championship after fumbling twice in the divisional around.
Regardless of what happens next, Hardman now has the ball that changed his life safely in his grasp.