Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton came to the rescue of a young fan Sunday moments after Kansas City’s 30-27 win over Carolina.
When a fan wearing a Nick Bolton jersey approached a railing at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte to greet members of the Chiefs following their 10th victory of the season, the young supporter fell through a gap and was aided by Thurston.
In footage of the harrowing incident that has since circulated online, the 26-year-old Wharton can later be seen helping the fan back up to the stands as a stadium worker told nearby spectators to return to their seats.
Wharton, who is in his fifth season with the Chiefs, spoke about the ordeal Tuesday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Usually when I leave a game, try to throw my gloves in the crowd, and I think I heard my name a little bit, and when I heard my name, I seen him coming down. It was two security guards right there, I don’t think they realized what I was doing because they were looking at us but I just had to kinda like push him into the stands a little bit to make sure he didn’t hit too hard,” Wharton detailed.
Wharton hopes to reconnect with the young fan, telling McAfee, ” I would like to reach out to him, get him out to the game.”
An undrafted free agent out of Missouri S&T, Wharton originally signed with the Chiefs in 2020.
He was part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning rosters in 2023 and 2024 and is now seeking his third consecutive championship with the club.
Wharton has 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks through 11 games this season.
The Chiefs are operating on a short week as they’ll take on the Raiders at home Friday in an AFC West clash.
Although the Chiefs defeated the Raiders on the road in October, 27-20, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes hopes for more dominant performances from the defending Super Bowl champs down the stretch.
“You always want to have some blowouts and be a little calmer in the fourth quarter, but I’ve always said it could be a good thing when you get to the playoffs later in the season knowing that you have been in those moments before, and knowing how to attack it play by play not making it too big of a moment,” Mahomes said Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
“But I would say this more than anybody, I would love to win a game not by the very last play.”
The Chiefs edged the Panthers on Sunday with a 31-yard field goal from Spencer Shrader in the game’s final seconds to improve to 10-1.
