Kansas City kids surprised with shopping spree with Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Matthew Massey traveled to Kansas City on Wednesday, anticipating a meeting with Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, one of his favorite football players. After arriving from St. Joseph, Matthew’s dad purchased him a clean white No. 25 jersey for the occasion.
Maybe I can get it autographed, 13-year-old Matthew thought.
And an hour later, as Edwards-Helaire put a sharpie to the nameplate, Matthew yelled out that he planned on framing the jersey when he returned home.
But first, how about a surprise?
Edwards-Helaire surprised a group of 20 kids at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Zona Rosa with a $200 gift certificate provided by the store.
“He’s really cool, especially for an NFL dude,” said Matthew, an eighth-grader. “I think he’s really good. It was great meeting him. I didn’t expect the money. That was cool.”
After the reveal, Edwards-Helaire signed footballs for each kid, and then he joined several as they wandered through the store to spend their cash. Some wanted a pair of Air Jordan 1s. Others opted for Chiefs gear.
“Being able to pick whatever I wanted right before Christmas would’ve been a blessing (as a kid), and I know it would’ve been a blessing for my mom and my dad at home,” Edwards-Helaire said. “Right now, I know it’s more about the kids, but it’s also about that relief for the parents also.”
Edwards-Helaire was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he attended Catholic High School before moving on to LSU for college. The Chiefs drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but his first professional season included strict COVID-19 protocols, preventing appearances like the one he made Wednesday night.
“Putting on a smile on the next person’s face is really what I want to do and bring,” Edwards-Helaire said.