Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger surprised the Freeport high school football team with new Nike uniforms earlier this week.
The surprise was a Make-A-Wish experience granted for Freeport quarterback and cancer survivor Garrett King, who selflessly requested the new uniforms for himself and his Yellow Jacket teammates.
While King was in on the jersey reveal, he was not aware that Roethlisberger would be the one to unveil the updated digs.
“Most people when they make a wish they get to wish for pretty much anything, and they always think about themselves,” Roethlisberger said. “The fact that he thought about y’all first, I think that speaks volumes about your leader, your quarterback. I couldn’t be more proud of you and what you’re going through in terms of being a leader for this group. And guys, I hope you realize what you have in terms of a leader and a quarterback here.”
Roethlisberger also gifted King a copy of Phil Knight’s memoir “Shoe Dog” and a pair of shoes signed by the Nike founder.
Not only did King request the new uniforms for his team, but he also assisted Nike in designing them.
A @FASD_Athletics QB, recently diagnosed with cancer, was awarded a wish through @MakeAWishPAWV.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 10, 2021
His wish ➡️ New uniforms for his team 🔥@_BigBen7 was on-hand to surprise the whole team with their new @usnikefootball threads. @NFL pic.twitter.com/9c62NddOD5