Eagles-Giants, Dec. 11, 2022, and quarterback Jalen Hurts takes off for a 10-yard run into the end zone for an Eagles touchdown.
But this story isn’t about the play — it’s about the moment right after, as Hurts handed the ball to lifelong Eagles fan Paul Hamilton in the first row.
"He made eye contact with me while he was running through the line and just ran straight to me,” Hamilton said. "At this point, I'm juggling a cellphone and the ball, so I'm about to give up my cellphone to the football field. You only dream of what happened to me, the whole entire situation was a dream.”
Until, Hamilton says, it became a nightmare.
"They didn't waste any time to start threatening me to get the ball back,” Hamilton said.
Turns out, it wasn’t just another Jalen Hurts rushing touchdown. It was his 10th that year, which made him the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons.
Hamilton says right away, stadium security approached him to get the ball back, and when he refused, he says they began threatening him to the point he decided to leave.
On his way out, he says he was stopped and detained by security officers, who continued trying to force him to cough up the football.
“They knew it was a valuable ball that they wanted to put into the Hall of Fame,” said Hamilton’s attorney, Adam Thompson. “And when they came to him, they basically tried to gaslight him and trick him out of keeping the ball and said, 'Oh, it's worthless, it has no value. We’ll trade you, maybe we'll give you a jersey, we'll do something like that.' It was like, 'No, I got handed the football by him.'”
It’s now been more than three years, and the incident continues to play out in court.
Hamilton filed a civil lawsuit against the Giants, MetLife Stadium — where the game was played — New Jersey State Police, the Eagles and the NFL. He alleges false arrest, false imprisonment, assault and battery, abuse of process and negligence.
A judge tossed out the allegations against the Eagles and the NFL. The claims against the other parties are now in the pretrial phase.
When asked about the incident, the Giants, MetLife Stadium and New Jersey State Police all said they cannot comment on pending litigation.
The Eagles had no comment, since they have been dismissed from the case. The NFL has also been dismissed, and has yet to respond to our request for comment.
While NFL rules allow the league to fine players for tossing balls into the stands, there’s no league policy requiring balls that end up there be returned.
Thompson said while the cost of being a fan is only going up, what happened to his client is an example of the fan experience getting worse.
"Whether you're a Giants fan or you're an Eagles fan, at any stadium you're at, you go to a game with a certain expectation of how you're going to be treated,” Thompson said. “And when that doesn't happen, that impacts every fan that goes to any game.”
Hamilton said he’s so put off by what happened, his days in the crowd are over. He’s no longer a fan — of the Eagles or the NFL.
“I don't watch games, I don't go to games, I don't wear my apparel anymore,” Hamilton said. “I didn't watch them win the Super Bowl last season, I don't care anymore.”
NY1 asked, “What would justice look like for you?”
“Honestly, as a man, I want an apology,” Hamilton said. “That would be a good starter, you know, like at least hold yourself accountable and apologize.”
As for where he keeps the ball, Hamilton said it’s hidden away. "That's a part of the paranoia that was set forth.”
NY1 asked, “If it's hidden away and the league means nothing to you at this point, why continue to hold on to it? Why not just give it back?”
“Because it's the only thing I think that, eventually, I could still hold some kind of good memory to,” Hamilton said. “Maybe someday.”
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