Former Jets wide receiver Mecole Hardman must have not known the new overtime rules in Sunday’s thrilling Super Bowl finish.
After Hardman, scooped up by the Chiefs after being let go by Gang Green, caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes, it took a beat for Hardman to realize that there would be no follow-up possession by the 49ers, and Kansas City had indeed secured its second Super Bowl title in consecutive years.
“I threw a touchdown to this dude to end the game,” Mahomes said on the field after the game. “He looked at me and had no idea. I said ‘Dude, we just won the Super Bowl.’ He blacked out. He had no idea. Because he didn’t even celebrate at the beginning. I’m like, ‘What are we doing?’”
Hardman admitted that he wasn’t sure what had happened, but he is indeed one of the heroes of Super Bowl XLVIII.
“When I saw you run towards me, I’m like, ‘OK yeah, it’s time to celebrate now,’” Hardman said. “I caught that pass and I blacked out. I didn’t know what was going on until I saw Pat running to me. I’m like ‘Oh, we just won, OK, let’s celebrate.’”