NFL star Mecole Hardman Jr. is on an emotional roller-coaster after helping the Kansas City Chiefs secure their Super Bowl LVIII victory.
The wide receiver, 25, joked after the big game on Sunday, February 11, that his mind shut down during the most memorable moment of his career. Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes in overtime, leading the Chiefs to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22.
“I ain’t gonna lie, man, I caught that pass and I blacked out,” Hardman said during the CBS postgame broadcast. “I didn’t know what was going on until I saw Pat running to me and I was like, ‘Oh, we just won? Let’s celebrate!’”
While reflecting on the Chiefs’ huge win, Hardman told Today that he remembers “none” of the game’s final seconds.
“I guess the magnitude of the moment just got to me,” he said on Monday, February 12. “But all I can remember is, after I caught it, I just see [Mahomes] running to me, like, ‘You’re a champion!’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, we won! OK, bet.’ And then I started celebrating. But I definitely don’t remember nothing after I caught [the] ball.”
Sunday marked Hardman’s third Super Bowl with the Chiefs following wins in 2020 and 2023, but he began this season on the New York Jets. He signed with the team in March 2023, returning to the Chiefs seven months later.
This time last year, the athlete had even more to celebrate than his team’s Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Hardman tweeted hours before the big game that his girlfriend, Chariah Gordon, 28, was in labor.
“OMG HER WATER BROKE,” he wrote in February 2023 with several eye emojis.
Gordon reposted the tweet via her Instagram Story at the time with a video of her in the back of an ambulance, teasing, “Thanks for jinxing me everyone.”
Hardman Jr. didn’t play in the 2023 championship due to a pelvic injury, meaning he got to be there with Gordon when she gave birth to their son.
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“Welcoming our healthy baby boy together in this world while watching the Chiefs win the Super Bowl!! Could not be any Happier! A father and now a 2x Super Bowl Champ! Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support ❤️🥂⭐️🎈,” he gushed via Instagram at the time, sharing a glimpse of the family of three in the hospital.
Gordon has been Hardman’s No. 1 fan throughout his NFL career, celebrating the Chiefs’ win in style on Sunday. “Watching you get EVERYTHING you deserve! ❤️ 3x SB Champ!!!!!!!! Congratulations baby!” she captioned an Instagram post after the game. “We never gave up & stayed faithful to God!!! NOW LOOK them tables always turn !!!”
The couple are currently expecting their second baby, hosting an elaborate sex reveal party in November 2023. “A moment to remember 💖 IT’S A GIRL!!!!!” Gordon wrote alongside an Instagram slideshow at the time.
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