Boys who lost their father get surprise Christmas visit from Detroit Lions quarterback
Three young brothers in Michigan mourning the death of their father got an amazing Christmas gift, when Matthew Stafford, a quarterback for the Detroit Lions -- the family's beloved team -- and his wife dropped by with presents for the holidays.
"It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful," 11-year-old Talon, the eldest of his siblings, told ABC News on Thursday. "I'll definitely remember that for the rest of my life. ... It was definitely the greatest surprise ever."
Video shared by the family Dec. 17 on Facebook captured the incredible moment.
Stafford and his wife, Kelly, appeared at the boys' house on Dec. 16. Talon said that while some of his relatives knew of the planned visit, he and his brother Skyler, also seen in the video, had no clue that Stafford was coming to their home.
"Oh my God," Talon and Skyler said as they both took turns greeting Kelly Stafford and then shaking Matthew Stafford's hand in the video. Talon drops to the floor in shock.
"What's up, guys?" Matthew Stafford said.
"We have a little Christmas for you, guys. ... Can we come hang out with you guys for a little bit?" Kelly Stafford asked. "Merry Christmas, guys."
Kelly Stafford then greetied the boys' mother and other family members in the house.
"People are so, so, good," Deana Harb said in her Facebook video post of the moment. "And I know my cousin is beaming from Heaven."
"I was really surprised," Talon said Thursday about the visit. "Hardly anyone ever gets to say in their lifetime that Matthew Stafford came to their door."
According to a GoFundMe shared by Harb, the boys' father, Conor, died unexpectedly in September at the age of 40, leaving behind his wife, Heather, and three sons: Talon, Skyler and Tyson.
Talon told ABC News on Thursday that his father, who also coached the boys, was kind, uplifting and reliable.
"He always made time for family and he always put family above everything else," he said.
Talon also shared that his father was "probably the No. 1 Lions fan -- like everything was Lions" and that the two were even superstitious while watching the team play. He said that while watching the Detroit Lions play football, he and his family would be "like, 'Everyone look away from the screen because we might be bad luck' or stuff like that."
As for the visit from Matthew Stafford, Talon said: "It is definitely something I will never, ever forget. It was just outstanding."
He said another thing that he and his brother would not quickly forgot was how badly the Detroits Lions player had beat them at the football video game "Madden."
"Let's just say, it was 55-18," Talon said.
