ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Persistence, for one Detroit Lions fan, ended up paying off.
Javier Negron sent a tweet to Detroit Lions linebacker Tahir Whitehead earlier this year, asking him for a signed jersey for when the Lions head to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers on Dec. 10. Whitehead responded by telling him to get 5,900 retweets – Whitehead’s number with the Lions is 59 – and that he’d send him the jersey.
Negron didn’t reach the number – it’s not entirely clear how many retweets he actually received – but Whitehead eventually decided it didn’t matter. He appreciated the man’s persistence. So he rewarded him anyway, sending him a signed jersey and signed cleats.
— Tahir Whitehead (@Big_Tah47) November 15, 2017
@Big_Tah47 @Lions @nfl @gmfb I can't believe it! Thanks so much man! So motivating! pic.twitter.com/b5UkrjntoZ
— Javier Negron (@Javisito103) November 15, 2017
“He was persistent earlier in the season with trying to get a certain amount of retweets before he could get a signed jersey,” Whitehead said. “It started off at ‘OK, 5,900.’ Then I was just like, OK, after that, I forgot what it went to but I lessened it to maybe 590. He was just retweeting, retweeting, trying to get all the retweets.
“I just saw him staying after it and after a couple weeks, I believe it was before the start of the regular season, I was like, ‘You know what, man. I liked the way you stayed after it. Don’t worry about it. I know you don’t have the retweets but I’ll still send you the jersey.’"
Whitehead said he has never had someone be so persistent to try and get a signed jersey from him. He said he has had people ask for things on social media before, but he appreciated his relentless nature to try and get it.
“He knew what he wanted and he just kept pressing,” Whitehead said.
Whitehead said he never has met the man, but he wanted to do it, too, “because I generally try to show love to people that show love to me. That’s just how I roll, you know.”