Mother of kid in viral video explains why Raiders player couldn’t get ball to her son

During the opening game of the 2015 American League Championship Series, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista drew the ire of Royals fans at Kauffman Stadium and those watching at home.

Bautista caught the final out of an inning and then pretended to toss the ball to a fan.

On Christmas Day, it appeared a similar situation played out during the Chiefs’ 20-14 loss to the Raiders. After his pick-six, Raiders cornerback Jack Jones tried to give a ball to a young fan, then pulled it back.

Video of the moment went viral, and I wrote about it too, with the headline, “Raiders’ Jack Jones offered football to young Chiefs fan, then pulled it back.”

Jones’ X mentions likely blew up, and he wrote: “I didn’t snatch that ball from the kid it was from that blac dude who tried to take it watch it again lollipop.”

Here’s the video, and watch the adult behind the kid: That is who Jones is talking about. And he’s right — someone was moving in for the keepsake.

So ... it turns out there was more to the story than what I thought I saw in that video.

And the mother of the young Chiefs fans backed up Jones’ account in a Facebook post about the viral moment.

“Yesterday, my 11 year old went crazy viral. Like 30 million views viral, for being on the receiving end of an NFL grinch,” Tessa Robinson wrote Tuesday. “But the headlines are wrong — there’s more to the story. The real grinch here is the one who vilified a player whose heart was actually in the Christmas spirit.

“We flew home to KC to spend Christmas with my parents and were able to get front row seats to The Kansas City Chiefs game well below cost, courtesy of long-time season ticket holders who know and love my sweet kids.

“It was their first NFL game, my second. If you know Logan, you know he’s an absolute sports fanatic and a die-hard Chiefs fan. ...

“When the Las Vegas Raiders Jack Jones intercepted a (Patrick) Mahomes’ pass for a pick 6, Jones looked at the fans lining the end zone and made eye contact with Logan. Jones was grinning at him as he jogged up — he went out of his way to find a kid.

“As a mom, all I could do was smile. You forget about the rivalry in that moment. You forget about the Raider Hater chants you grew up with. You even forget that your beloved Chiefs are losing and the opposing team just scored on a turnover. All you see is the moment through your kid’s eyes: This is going to mean the world to him.

“And it would have.

“The video circulated like wildfire. Sports Illustrated ESPN FanDuel Fox News Barstool Sports The Kansas City Star — literally hundreds of outlets with the best clickbait headline of all time: ‘Raiders Jack Jones goes full grinch on child.’

“But if you watch the video, what you don’t see is the dude behind me who is literally on my back trying to snatch the ball. You don’t see the other Chiefs fans screaming at the players that they suck. You don’t see the Raiders players taunting the fans (and the one who flipped off the crowd, which my 12-year-old daughter pointed out). Jones tried to give Logan the ball and pulled it back when the guy behind me started swatting and cursing. Logan was, of course, devastated. I was, of course, so bummed for him, and beyond annoyed that an adult ruined this moment.”

Logan never got the ball, but the Chiefs came through in a big way, Robinson revealed.

“Anyway, Chiefs definitely tried to make it right in the 3rd quarter — they saw the incident on Twitter and brought him an autographed ball by Willie Gay. So awesome,” Robinson wrote. “And at the same time, that moment will never be replaced — the gift that was and then wasn’t and then the aftermath of seeing the thousands of insults to him on Twitter (spoiled kid with front row seats, dumb kid, etc.). If you knew Logan, you’d know he’s an awesome, grateful, empathetic and hilarious kid who just really loves sports.

“It’s a good lesson for all of us — there’s always more to the story or another angle you can look at, and give people the benefit of the doubt unless you have a front row seat to their intentions. As adults, we should all do better for our next generation of sports fans and humans.

“Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. And, Clark Hunt, if you’re reading this, Taylor Swift tickets for Lucy to Indy (my brother lives there so we’d have a place to stay) and a signed Travis Kelce jersey for Logan would really make it better. (Totally kidding… but 30 million views… you have to ask, right)? #chiefskingdom”

Kudos to Robinson for sharing the story and to Jones for trying to make Logan’s day.