In all his years playing football, dating to the beginning, Lions left tackle Taylor Decker had never scored a touchdown. Until Sunday.
Decker caught an 11-yard touchdown from Matthew Stafford on a trick play in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. Caught up in the moment, Decker threw the ball into the stands.
Afterward, he regretted his celebration.
“To whoever caught/has the ball I threw into the stands. I’ve played football since first grade, and that was my first ever touchdown,” Decker wrote on Twitter. “I’d love to have that ball, and would be more than happy to hook you up if you’d be willing. #defendtheden #bigmantouchdown”
It didn’t take long for Bill Zerbst, the Lions fan who caught the ball, to hear about the message. Decker worked out a deal with Zerbst, which Zerbst wouldn’t divulge, and will return the ball.
Zerbst explained he was eating chicken tenders with his wife when the ball came “flying at my face.”
“I got a beer in my left hand. I tip the ball with my right hand [and] cover that up for dear life,” Zerbst told Evan Dean of the NBC affiliate covering western Michigan. “How rare is it to catch an NFL football? Being thrown by an offensive lineman? Ridiculous.”