In spite of its reputation to the contrary, Philadelphia lived up to its nickname, ‘The City of Brotherly Love,’ during Thursday’s Super Bowl LII victory parade as a group of fans worked to reunite Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones with the cell phone he lost along the five-mile route.
Of course, that was only after the group posted a group selfie to his Instagram account.
The entire incident played out on social media.
First, in a video later posted to Instagram, Jones was seen dancing along the parade route and interacting with fans when, unbeknownst to the rookie, his phone fell out of his jacket pocket.
The cellular device, which must have been unlocked, was recovered by a group of fans, who immediately posted a picture of themselves to Jones’s Instagram account.
‘Guess who dropped their phone at the parade!!!!’ read the post, written by the fans on Jones’s account. ‘We will return it.’
Eagles fans found Sidney Jones’s phone and returned it, but not until after taking a group selfie
(Left) Jones’s phone falls out of his jacket pocket. (Right) Unaware, Jones continued walking
After the post went viral, Jones Tweeted, ‘I really lost my phone tho.’
Fortunately, the Eagles fans lived up to their word and Jones managed to connect with the group before the day ended.
The 21-year-old Jones later posted an image on Instagram of him among the group of fans saying he got his phone back with the hashtag ‘#RealLove.’
And it’s no wonder why Jones would feel so appreciative. Cell phones tend to contain a significant amount of personal information and an NFL player making over $3 million in his first season, as Jones did, would be a perfect target for someone who wanted to take advantage of the situation.
Instead the smiling fans were happy to have their picture taken with Jones.
The parade caps a glorious week for jubilant Eagles fans celebrating an NFL title that had eluded them for nearly 60 years. Led by backup quarterback Nick Foles and second-year coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles beat the Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.
Even without his phone, Jones was still able to confirm that it was lost
Jones was visibly happy to see the group of fans who found his phone, and decided to pose for a group selfie that he ultimately posted on Instagram with the hashtag ‘#RealLove’
Jones thanked three individuals on Instagram after his phone was returned
Schools, museums, courts, government offices and even the city zoo were shut down in anticipation of the event. Organizers were prepared for as many as 2 million people, but the final turnout will remain a mystery as no official count was taken.
Many players sported their parade finest: defensive end Chris Long donned a full-length faux fur coat over an Allen Iverson 76ers jersey; center Jason Kelce dressed in full Mummers regalia looking somewhat like Aladdin; and defensive lineman Vinny Curry was been seen playing air guitar on his very own WWE Championship Belt.
Even the city’s police got into the spirit less than a week after delirious Eagles fans belligerently plowed their way through the city, flipping cars, lighting fires, and throwing empties in some cases.
On Thursday several officers were seen waving Eagles flags along the parade route and a few even enjoyed a game of catch with some of the spectators on South Broad Street.
Sidney Jones is a 21-year-old rookie cornerback with the Eagles
While there is no official report yet on any arrests at the parade, several people were spotted being led away in handcuffs.
One person was lying face down on the ground in the middle of a group of police officers, while another fan was carted off with blood smeared across his face.
Others were spotted climbing light poles along the parade route, as well as garbage trucks and trees to catch a glimpse of the Eagles players.
The city’s street poles were not greased like they were ahead of the Super Bowl to prevent fans from climbing them. That decision did prove costly to one street light, which was toppled by the weight of an exuberant Eagles fan.
Bud Light had offered free beer to revelers at two dozen bars along the parade route, thanks to a promise its brewer made to Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson before the season.
Thousands of beer cans and other debris were left behind when the parade ended Thursday afternoon.
Fortunately for Jones, his phone was returned before it was mistaken for litter and subsequently trashed.
Sidney Jones speaks with members of the media during NFL football rookie minicamp at the team’s training facility in Philadelphia. He was a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft