Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tershawn Wharton was the hero of the moment after his team beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday when he rescued a young fan who fell out of the stands.
Footage has gone viral of the young Chiefs fan waving at players leaving the field – Travis Kelce can even be spotted in the corner of the frame.
But as he took his gloves off to gift to the young fan in question, disaster nearly struck.
The child, wearing a Nick Bolton jersey, reached out to take the gloves from one of his heroes when he appeared to trip and fall head first over the edge of the stand.
Fortunately, Wharton was close by and appeared to catch the boy and help him climb back up into the stand.
Carson Steele can also be seen making sure the young Chiefs supporter was ok.
Chiefs defensive end Tershawn Wharton was the hero of the moment in Carolina on Sunday
A fan toppled out of the stands reaching out to try and claim Wharton’s glove after the game
After the kid falls over the edge, the video becomes unclear and it is impossible to see the moment Wharton caught him.
But fortunately he didn’t seem to hit the ground, as seconds later the boy climbs back up over the rails.
A man who appears to be a security guard can be heard shouting: ‘Everybody, back to your seats. This kid just fell.’
A fan shared the video on X and wrote: ‘I don’t think bro has an account … but shoutouts to Tershawn Wharton for saving the panthers from being sued.’
The Chiefs narrowly beat the Panthers on Sunday at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, with a late field goal from Spencer Shrader handing them a 30-27 victory to move to 10-1 for the season.
The 26-year-old Wharton is in his fifth season with the Chiefs, with Kansas City signing him in 2020 after he went undrafted.
He played for Missouri S&T at college level and has played in every game for the Chiefs so far this season.
The Chiefs have a shorter turnaround than usual after Sunday’s game.
The Super Bowl winners are back in action on Friday at Arrowhead Stadium in a divisional matchup against Las Vegas Raiders.
