The Los Angeles Rams’ coaches and players won’t be the only ones traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, for the 2019 Super Bowl. Thanks to the generous act of wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the team’s locker room janitor, Alfonso, will accompany them to this Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, off the clock.
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Recently, Cooks surprised Alfonso, whose last name the Rams chose not to share in order to protect his privacy, with Super Bowl tickets for him and his son. In a video posted on the Rams’ Twitter page, Cooks explained that the gift was a token of appreciation for the work Alfonso does helping to keep the locker room in order for the team.
“This is a dream come true,” Alfonso tells Cooks, adding that he’s excited his son can tag along.
Cooks, who is in his first year with the Rams, told Yahoo! Sports that he had to tell a lot of people no when he started getting requests for Super Bowl tickets. But, he says, he knew he had to save two tickets for someone he finds very inspiring.
“The guy is special,” he said. “He keeps our locker room in tip-top shape. He has a special soul. He’s someone I just found myself drawn to when I got there. I see him around the facility all the time.”
Cooks says he considers himself and Alfonso teammates. “I just thought it would be special for him to understand this is a team and he’s a part of that as well,” Cooks said. “I wanted to make sure he is at the Super Bowl with his son to enjoy it. … I am flying him in, he’s got a hotel, he’s going to be set for the whole weekend.”
Cooks, who is on a five-year, $81 million contract with the Rams, will be playing in his second consecutive Super Bowl this coming Sunday, after playing in last year’s with the Patriots. Wide receiver Robert Woods, who caught Cooks giving Alfonso the tickets, said that the act is just a reflection of who he is as a person.
“That’s the type of person and teammate that he is,” said Woods. “He’s just someone who you want as a teammate, you want as a friend.”
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