Mecole Hardman Jr. went through a lot this season from barely getting any playing time with the New York Jets to dealing with injuries after he was traded back to the Kansas City Chiefs. But that didn’t stop him from making a major impact in the Super Bowl, and Travis Kelce was extremely proud.
Hardman had two of the biggest plays of the game for the Chiefs in their Super Bowl LVIII win against the San Francisco 49ers, hauling in a 52-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes for the longest play of the game before catching the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime.
It was a moment so touching that it even made Travis Kelce a bit emotional.
“It brought me to tears seeing that he was the man that got us this ring,” Kelce said according to Pro Football Talk. “Sometimes the media world can be pretty harsh on a guy. … Mecole is one of my favorite teammates ever because he just keeps showing up and he keeps trying to find ways to win. Had a huge play for us early on that kind of sparked us and on top of that, finds a way to win the game for us when everybody counted him out — even the Jets counted him out.
“And man, we were so excited when he got back in the building because he’s the kind of guy who brings everybody together. He’s got that kind of personality.”
It was a big moment for Hardman and the Chiefs that might not have happened if things had worked out better for Hardman in New York.
