Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery came to meet the second-grader and fan that wrote him an extremely sincere and encouraging letter, following the team's Divisional Round loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The fan wrote this letter to Jeffery, encouraging him to not give up and keep on practicing after the loss:
Jeffery saw it and went to visit the classroom of the second-grader who wrote the letter. Jamie Apody of WPVI TV shared the moving video of Jeffery coming into the room, much to the surprise and excitement of the students:
What a classy gesture from Jeffery, and what a moment it had to be for those humble young fans.
You may recall that Jeffery couldn't secure a catch from Nick Foles in the waning stages of the fourth quarter, which bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Marshon Lattimore.
The Eagles were on the cusp of the red zone, but Lattimore's interception allowed the Saints' offense to come onto the field and run out the clock. And with that, the Eagles fell short of becoming the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the 2004 New England Patriots. Close, but nowhere near.
RELATED: SECOND-GRADE STUDENT WRITES TOUCHING LETTER TO ALSHON JEFFERY
After the game, Jeffery vowed that the Eagles will "be back next year," and that one play wouldn't "define" him. He's keeping it into perspective well, and the second-grader fan reminded him to do so.
Jeffery had another productive season with the Eagles, registering 65 catches for 843 yards and six touchdowns. The Eagles wound up winning three straight games to narrowly qualify for the postseason, before upsetting the 12-4 Chicago Bears in the first round of he playoffs. They got much further than most could have expected, so there's little to be ashamed of.
What This Means
The Eagles still boast an excellent core and are in position to compete for more Super Bowls down the road, and Jeffery was reminded last week that it's not always going to be your year.