New England fan Jerry Edmond was taking in his first NFL game this weekend, but unfortunately, didn't get the warmest welcome at Allegiant Stadium.
For Week 16 at Gillette Stadium, the team and Robert Kraft hope to make his second Patriots game a better experience.
Following the shocking final play of New England's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Edmond couldn't believe what he'd just seen on the field. Adding insult to injury, an unruly fan in a Derek Carr jersey decided to aggressively rub the loss in his face.
Fortunately, someone recorded cell phone footage, and video of the exchange quickly went viral. Fans worked to identify the man in the No. 12 jersey with red sleeves, and by Tuesday, he responded to reveal himself.
"I'd like to thank everyone for all the kind words," Jerry said in a follow-up Tweet. "I'm the Patriots fan in the video. My name is Jerry Edmond and that was my first ever NFL game. I didn't want to ruin my experience by retaliating towards that woman so I kept my cool."
The video was viewed over 7.4 million times on Twitter and resonated with many -- including Robert Kraft.
The Patriots chairman and CEO called Edmond personally on Wednesday, inviting him to Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Edmond accepted the invitation, and will receive a customized jersey and pregame field passes to take in warmups -- certainly a better view than the one he had in Vegas.
You never know who's watching, but the Patriots wanted to thank Edmond for the way he represented the New England fan base with class and composure on the road in Las Vegas.
