With two minutes left in the Ravens’ win over the Broncos, Justine Rotell turned to her 7-year-old daughter, Presley, and asked if she wanted to pack up. Presley stiff-armed the question, and it was probably the best decision she has ever made.
Moments later, with Presley holding a sign that said, “Lamar Jackson I made a friendship bracelet for you,” the two-time MVP was running her way.
Jackson arrived to the stands with fans clamoring to meet him, but he made a beeline for Presley. Jackson got his custom bracelet and in exchange gave Presley his hat and a high-five.
It was an unforgettable moment for Presley, but it only got crazier from there.
As Justine and Presley walked out of the stadium, Justine’s phone began blowing up. The Ravens had posted the clip on social media, and everyone was taking notice.
“As a mom, seeing her heart burst, seeing her get this, we were just jumping for joy,” Justine said over the phone. “… She’s like, ‘This is like the Lamar Jackson effect!'”
For Presley, meeting Jackson has always been her goal. As a 5-year-old, she would run around the house screaming, “eight, eight, eight,” wearing her Jackson jersey, and last season she went to two games and wouldn’t stop screaming his name. So when they got tickets this year in the lower bowl, they decided to make a sign to catch his eye.
“All the time we would try to explain to her, like, ‘Honey, this is like a super hard thing. They don’t even hear us say their name at a game,'” Justine said. “… But in her awesome little mind and her heart, she’s like, ‘I know that he wanted to come and get it because I had a present for him, and I knew he was going to love it.'”
Presley was still on cloud nine a day later, and with her school closed she wore the hat and a bracelet that said “LJ GOAT” all around the house. Presley asked her mom “a good 50 times” if she thinks Jackson is still wearing the bracelet and Justine kept saying yes. Later that afternoon they got confirmation.
Jackson showed up to his weekly press conference with the colorful bracelet around his wrist, and he gave Presley a shoutout for the gift.
“I just like the bracelet, to be honest with you,” Jackson said. “I took it off, showered and stuff, before I came in today, I put it back on. It’s a dope gift. Appreciate you.”
“I played it for her, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs,” Justine said. “She kept saying, ‘It’s dope. It’s dope.'”
Since the viral moment, everyone from school has been reaching out to Presley. The girls want to talk to her while the boys want their own bracelets. Presley is making some new ones for them, but she’s clear that Jackson’s is special because it has a unique white 8-ball and a red heart.
“She’s like, ‘Everybody can now make bracelets for football players!'” I’m like, ‘There you go, honey,'” Justine said. “It’s just such a cute thing to see.
“We were laughing saying how amazing would it be to see Lamar this year hold up the Lombardi with the bracelet on? All these visions we’re envisioning.”
Justine and Presley have always admired Jackson’s greatness on the field. As Justine put it, “There is not a better football player in my eyes.” But having that moment Sunday helped solidify Jackson as a life-long role model for Presley.
“He is just a wonderful person,” Justine said. “… How people say he’s amazing, holy crap is that 100% true. [He] made my daughter’s life. And she even says, ‘Mom, his smile was so big, I loved it.'”