The Philadelphia Eagles came into Super Bowl 59 prepared to blitz the Kansas City Chiefs. But as it turned out, the Eagles just didn’t need to send extra pass rushers as Philly’s ferocious front four were able to consistently pressure Patrick Mahomes, sacking the quarterback six times in the lopsided contest.
While the game eventually got away from the Chiefs, devolving into a blowout, Eagles’ rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean had his moment before the rout was officially on. DeJean, the former Iowa Hawkeyes standout, intercepted a Mahomes pass in the first half and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a 17-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.
Yet while most Iowans rejoiced as DeJean scampered across the field and into the end zone, one very famous former Hawkeye was dejected. WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark is a lifelong Chiefs fan. And she found the team’s drubbing at the hands of the Eagles difficult to bear – despite her alum’s heroic efforts.
But to Clark’s credit, she managed to put her heartbreak aside and reach out to DeJean to congratulate him on his incredible accomplishment.
“I think us going to Iowa together, I think she was just saying that she was proud of me and congratulating me… not only that I scored a touchdown but winning the biggest game in football in my first year. So I appreciate her sending that message even though she’s a Chiefs fan,” DeJean said of Clark on The Pivot Podcast, via Hawk Central.