Rams Star Catches Team Employee Off-Guard with a Huge Surprise
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks has had a big impact on the field since he came over from the New England Patriots last offseason.
He’s also making an impact off the field.
One example: Cooks arranged for Rams locker room porter Alfonso Garcia and his son, Josh, to join the team in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII, according to USA Today.
On Thursday, the receiver surprised Garcia with the news that he was receiving two tickets to the game as well as free flights and hotel accommodations.
It takes a team to achieve the dream. @brandincooks had a little surprise for Alfonso, who keeps our facility in tip-top shape. ? #SBLIII pic.twitter.com/rzx92ROUi8
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 24, 2019
Cooks had high praise for Garcia.
“Oh, man, Alfonso — the guy is special, man. He keeps our locker room in tip-top shape. He has such a special soul. Someone that I found myself drawn to once I got there and I see him around the facility all the time,” Cooks said, reported USA Today.
He said it’s important that Garcia is there because he is part of the team’s success.
“I just felt like it would be special for him to see that he is a part of this success as well, and I wanted him to be able to be at the Super Bowl with his son to enjoy that,” Cooks said.
Fellow Rams receiver Robert Woods said of Cooks, “That’s the type of teammate he is, and a leader.”
The Rams acquired Cooks, 25, from the Patriots last April for a first-round draft pick and a sixth-round pick. In July, he signed a five-year, $80 million extension with the Rams.
“Brandin Cooks has shown himself to be a class act on and off the field since the first day he joined our team,” Rams coach Sean McVay said back in July, according to Sports Illustrated. “He’s a proven professional in this league and signing him to a long-term contract was always our goal. We’re excited to keep Brandin in a Rams uniform through 2023.”
The former Oregon State star was a first-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2014. Catching passes from Drew Brees, he racked up 215 receptions for 2,861 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons.
Cooks then played one year in New England and had 65 catches, 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns. He played in the Super Bowl last year with the Patriots, who lost to the Eagles 41-33.
This year with the Rams, Cooks had 80 receptions, 1,204 yards and five touchdowns.
Cooks had nothing but great things to say about his former teammate and current opponent, Tom Brady. When asked what most surprised him about Brady, Cooks said, “How cool he was and how he treated everyone the same.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVj9vN3Wuc
“I’ve got a lot of respect for a guy like that that’s so high-level, high-profile,” Cooks said, “and he treated every player the same — the janitor, the cooking people, the chefs.
“You talk about a guy that’s genuinely nice to everyone around him. … I respect that.”
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