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Eagles Star Speaks Out to Defend Nephew After Elderly Woman Snatches Home Run Ball at Phillies Game

Philadelphia, PA – September 8, 2025

What was supposed to be a joyful birthday memory turned into a viral controversy at Citizens Bank Park. During Friday’s Phillies–Marlins game, a father caught a home run ball and handed it to his young son — only for an older woman from the row behind to rush forward, claiming it was hers.
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The father, visibly uncomfortable as the woman shouted in his ear, eventually gave up the ball to avoid making a scene. Fans nearby booed, while the boy sat stunned and upset that his special moment had been taken away. “I wasn’t very happy we had to give it to her, but we can’t win,” the child later told local reporters.

The clip quickly spread online, igniting debate about fan behavior and sportsmanship. Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader stepped in after the game, presenting the boy with a signed bat and memorabilia to help restore some joy.

Later, it was revealed the boy is the nephew of Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott — and the veteran didn’t hold back.

“It’s infuriating to see an adult yell at a kid and take his ball — especially on his birthday. That was my nephew. In Philly, we stand up for our kids and make sure their happiness always comes first,” Elliott said.

For both Eagles and Phillies fans, the story carried weight far beyond a baseball game. What began as a home run souvenir turned into a lesson in sportsmanship — and a reminder that protecting children’s joy matters more than winning an argument over a ball.

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Chiefs Head Coach Announces Chris Jones to Start on the Bench for Standout Rookie After Costly Mistake vs. Jaguars
  Kansas City, MO —The Kansas City Chiefs’ coaching staff confirmed that Chris Jones will start on the bench in the next game to make way for rookie DT Omarr Norman-Lott, following a mistake viewed as pivotal in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The move is framed as a message about discipline and micro-detail up front, while forcing the entire front seven to re-sync with Steve Spagnuolo’s system. Early-week film study highlighted two core issues. First, a neutral-zone/offsides penalty on a late 3rd-and-short that extended a Jaguars drive and set up the decisive points. Second, a Tex stunt (tackle–end exchange) that broke timing: the call asked Jones to spike the B-gap to occupy the guard while the end looped into the A-gap, but the footwork and shoulder angle didn’t marry, opening a clear cutback lane. To Spagnuolo, this was more than an individual error—it was a warning about snap discipline, gap integrity, pad level, and landmarks at contact, the very details that define Kansas City’s “January standard.” Under the adjusted plan, Omarr Norman-Lott takes the base/early-downs start to tighten interior gap discipline, stabilize run fits, and give the call sheet a cleaner platform. Chris Jones is not being shelved; he’ll be “lit up” in high-leverage situations—3rd-and-long, two-minute stretches, and the red zone—where his interior surge can collapse the pocket and force quarterbacks to drift into edge pursuit. In parallel, the staff will streamline the call sheet with the line group, standardize stunt tags (Tex/Pir), shrink the late-stem window pre-snap, and ramp game-speed reps in 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 so everyone is “seeing it the same, triggering the same.” Meeting the decision head-on, Jones kept it brief but competitive: “I can’t accept letting a kid take my spot, but I respect the coach’s decision. Let’s see what we’re saying after the game. I’ll practice and wait for my chance. When the ball is snapped, the QB will know who I am.” At team level, the Chiefs are banking on a well-timed hard brake to restore core principles: no free yards, no lost fits, more 3rd-and-longs forced, and the return of negative plays (TFLs, QB hits) that flip field position. In an AFC where margins often come down to half a step at the line, getting back to micro-details—from the first heel strike at the snap to the shoulder angle on contact—remains the fastest route for Kansas City to rebound from the stumble against Jacksonville.