Show of kindness makes Cardinals’ Jermaine Gresham internet hero

TEMPE, Ariz. – Much to his surprise, a $50 act of kindness made Arizona Cardinals tight end Jermaine Gresham an internet hero.

“It was crazy,” he said after the Cardinals went through voluntary workouts Tuesday. “I really wasn’t expecting it.”

It all started when Gresham was standing in line behind Delilah Cassidy at an American Airlines gate at Los Angeles International Airport.

He could hear her being told that under the airline’s policy, she had to pay $25 for each of two carry-ons that wouldn’t fit under her seat. She had cash but it wasn’t accepted at the gate so she was in danger of missing her flight. So Gresham pulled out his credit card and paid, a random act of kindness.

“That’s pretty much what it was,” he said. “I hope anyone would have done that. I don’t know. I just felt that’s how I was raised, my core values. Somebody in distress, just help them out. Nothing more, nothing less.”

To say Cassidy was grateful is an understatement.

“She was very nice,” Gresham said. “She was very, very, very appreciative. She thanked me I want to say maybe 20 times.”

She told azcentral.com that she was in tears as she boarded the plane.

“I gave him this huge hug,” she said. “I was crying into Jermaine Gresham. I didn’t know it was him.”

Cassidy said that when they landed, she offered to pay him in cash but he declined and told her to pay it forward.

She had her photo taken with Gresham and told her story on Twitter.

It went viral.

Gresham had no idea until he heard from a Cardinals employee who follows such things.

“He said, `You’re a viral sensation,’ I said, `For what? I didn’t get arrested,“’ Gresham said. “He sent me this picture and everything and I was like, `Oh, wow.“’

He seemed surprised that what he considered a small gesture wound up being such a big deal.

“I was right there,” he said. “I had my wallet in my pocket. Just here, swipe my card. It’s 50 bucks. Catch your flight. There wasn’t much to it.”

Gresham, who is recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, said he made a great investment.

“I hope everybody in the world would do something like that,” Gresham said. “Seeing her smile and her appreciation was worth it 10 times over.”

Of course he couldn’t escape some gentle ribbing from teammates.

“That’s the Walter Payton Man of the Year right there,” offensive tackle D.J. Humphries said as he walked by.

Kirk speaks

Rookie wide receiver Christian Kirk spoke to reporters for the first time since reports surfaced of his Feb. 3 arrest outside the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament on charges of destruction of property and disorderly conduct. He and a friend had been accused of throwing rocks at cars. Police said Kirk appeared intoxicated at the time.

The charges were later dropped.

“Obviously there was a negative response to it,” Kirk, a second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M, said of the publicity surrounding the incident. “But you’ve just got to block those things out and hold true to who you are and move on.”

Kirk was a top high school prospect born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Cardinals said they knew of the arrest when they drafted him but said they were confident it was not indicative of a larger problem.

“I told them the truth and they trusted in me, trusted in the type of person I was,” he said.

Now it’s back to football on a team where he figures to play a significant role.

“I’m just really happy it’s all cleared up,” Kirk said. “I’m just glad to be back and showing people I am what I am.”