Wouldn’t it be great if we could all randomly bump into our idols on the street? But would you be brave enough to ask them for a picture or try to chat with them? I’m not sure I would be.
Well, Julia Nicoll and her son Peter had a great experience when they met NFL Star Aaron Rodgers in downtown Chicago recently. Julia said she wouldn’t have recognized the athlete herself had it not been for her son.
Image from Chatsports.com
Julia told Liftable, “I’m whispering to him like (in a doubting tone), ‘Really? I don’t think Aaron Rodgers is standing right next to us on the corner on a Saturday evening.’” But she was wrong and after a second look realized her son was right. The Green Bay Packers quarterback was in Chicago for the Packers-Bears game.
Julia surprised herself and began talking to the star as they waited to cross the street. Not wanting to draw any more attention to him from other strangers, Julia whispered “Are you…?” without finishing the sentence. She explained that Rodgers didn’t hesitate before looking her right in the eye saying “I am.”
Both Julia and Peter were in awe and before she knew it he had turned around and introduced himself properly to them. She said they spoke for a few minutes and he told them he was enjoying the city before his dinner reservations. They even spoke briefly about his collarbone injury and Rodgers and Peter talked all things sports.
Image from PackersNews Facebook
Julia said her son apologized to the Packers star for being a Bears fan, but he didn’t miss a beat and told Peter that he should be a Bears fan, living in Chicago and all. A group of fans then came up to Rodgers to ask for pictures so Julia and Peter politely excused themselves.
However, what happened next caught them both by surprise. Rodgers caught back up with them and picked back up the conversation where they had left it. “He just started talking to us again like we were all neighbors and friends. We walked with him again for the next 15 minutes, 20 minutes to Michigan Avenue,” she recalls.
Clearly thrilled with the surprise encounter, Julia said “He was asking me questions that most people would think, ‘Why would Aaron Rodgers care?’ It was so amazing. It was really something, I have to say. It still is. I told so many people. We just couldn’t believe it, my son and I.”
Aaron Rodgers, Image from Sporting News
Later that evening, Julia and Peter were admiring the Christmas lights display in Macy’s department store when they bumped into a woman fully decked out in her Packers gear. High from her encounter with Aaron Rodgers, Julia said she felt compelled to share her experience with the lady.
However, the lady in question was not as impressed as others were. “She kind of patted my arm in a sweet, sweet way and she goes, ‘Oh, my son plays for the Packers,’” Julia said. As it turned out, the lady’s son is Ty Montgomery, running back for the Packers, so it’s no wonder she wasn’t really that fussed.
Julia wants the world to know what a nice guy Rodgers is, saying “I’m sharing with the world what a fabulous human being Aaron Rodgers is.” This story certainly makes a change from some of the less kind fan encounters you’d hear about. Justin Bieber anybody?
SaveSaveSaveSave