After the young fan lost his signed football at the Seahawks Super Bowl parade, a JBLM sergeant surprised him with a special replacement.
SEATTLE — What was supposed to be one of the happiest days of an 8-year-old Seahawks fan’s life ended in tears after he lost a football signed during Wednesday’s Super Bowl victory parade.
Days later, the story has taken a turn, one fueled by the same community spirit that filled downtown Seattle.
Antonio Rodrigues Jr., 8, attended the parade with his father and his brother. The family arrived early and spent the day walking more than 11 miles through the city as hundreds of thousands of fans gathered to celebrate the Seahawks’ championship.
“It was a beautiful day,” said Antonio Rodrigues Sr, the boy's father.
Antonio Jr. had one goal: get as many player signatures as possible on his football. At first, the plan worked.
“That ball was very, very meaningful to me, because it had three signatures, almost four,” Antonio Jr. said.
According to the family, the ball was tossed between fans and players along the parade route and signed by multiple Seahawks, including quarterback Sam Darnold. But during one exchange, the ball was dropped.
“Then someone else threw it. They collided, mine dropped, and security picked it up, and they gave it to the wrong person,” Antonio Jr. said.
The family believes someone may have picked up the football thinking they had gotten lucky with a signed souvenir.
“I think somebody just picked it up and thought that they won the lottery because they got some signatures,” Rodrigues Sr. said. “And maybe we can get it back to this little guy.”
Antonio Jr. insists it was no one’s fault. He simply wants the football returned.
In the days that followed, Antonio Jr.’s mother posted about the lost ball on Facebook. The post quickly gained traction, spreading widely among Seahawks fans who began sharing the story in hopes of tracking it down.
“We figured that if we reach out to the community, and the 12s are so close, that maybe we can get it back and lock that memory in for him,” his father said.
Even without the football, the family says the experience of being part of the championship celebration remains unforgettable.
“The energy was crazy. Everybody was happy,” Rodrigues Sr. said. “It’s almost like a feeling that you never get that many people and nobody angry. Everybody all smiles. It was something special.”
While the original ball has not been recovered, the viral post sparked another outcome.
First Sgt. Steven Cracraft, who is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord with the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, saw the family’s story online and decided to help.
Cracraft surprised Antonio Jr. with a new football signed by several Seahawks players and presented him with a jersey signed by wide receiver DK Metcalf.
What began as a heartbreaking loss in a sea of blue and green has become a different kind of memory — one defined not just by a championship parade, but by a community stepping in for one of its youngest fans.
For Antonio Jr. and his father, the Seahawks are still Super Bowl champions. And now, the story of a lost football has become part of that celebration.