Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph made the game-winning catch in overtime to knock the Saints out of the NFL playoffs in the NFC wild-card round last weekend, but the gloves he used to make that reception had quite the journey afterward.
A fan tweeted at Rudolph on Wednesday, writing, "You probably already heard this, but looks like someone sold your gloves from the Saints playoff game on eBay already. Hope they didn’t deceive you for a quick buck." Rudolph responded by saying the person who received the gloves from him did so by lying about their intentions.
Rudolph says a media member asked for the gloves and told him they'd be selling them for a charity benefit.
I saw this.. it’s disappointing. A member of the media in the locker room after the game asked if he could have my gloves for a charity benefit, so I said of course and I will even sign them for you! Well he got me, sold on eBay 3 days later.. https://t.co/JCTO0OWM5n
— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph82) January 8, 2020
MORE: Did Rudolph commit pass interference on TD?
UPDATE: Jason King, who bought the gloves, saw Rudolph's tweets and offered to donate them to charity.
Hey Jason, really cool of you to do this! @UMNChildrens will greatly appreciate it and I will make sure to get you my pair from this weekends game!
— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph82) January 8, 2020
The listing for the item can be found here. The seller is listed as living in Indianapolis and the account is gamegear777. The account has five other items listed for sale, all NFL playoff-related. The gloves sold for $375. The listing read:
Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph made the winning touchdown catch in overtime to beat the New Orleans Saints in the wildcard game! These are the actual gloves Rudolph wore in that game. Signed by Rudolph in black sharpie comes with official team roster.
Rudolph did not address the reporter by name in his initial tweet; he explained later he's not exactly sure who the reporter was.
And to clarify it was not anyone I knew.. so wasn't a local reporter I see daily or national reporter. Locker room was a zoo, he asked for them, I said of course and even offered to sign them... https://t.co/fCdU4RlhnP
— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph82) January 8, 2020
Rudolph is the Vikings' nominee for the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year award, so it's understandable why he was willing to part with the important gloves as he thought he was donating them to a good cause. Instead, he was apparently lied to and someone just sold the gloves for profit. In the end, though, things worked out for Rudolph and Masonic Children’s Hospital.
