Marie Nee and Terrence Speights were at a Philadelphia Eagles game last month when they received the ultimate upgrade.
The longtime friends and former co-workers were looking for their seats at the Oct. 22 Dolphins-Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field when they spotted an Eagles social media admin approaching fans with an envelope in hand.
Speaking to TODAY.com, the two recalled how just about everyone steered clear of the woman and the envelope.
“They avoided her like the plague,” Speights adds before mentioning that he too had his suspicions about the mysterious woman and the envelope she seemed eager to get rid of. “I’m thinking we just got our seats upgraded to something better. I’m thinking we’re going up to one of the suites.”
Soon enough, they learned that what was inside was far better.
“I’m on the sideline! Not just at the game!” Speights exclaims in a video that captured their surprise at having learned that they’d been given sideline access.
The video, which was posted to the Eagles’ official Instagram page, has received over 1.4 million likes on the platform and shows the pair raving about their dream upgrade.
Nee still struggles to express the awe she experienced while taking in the view. “I just was so — I was looking everywhere,” she says.
“She saw Jalen Carter. He was right in front of her, and she got to shake DeSean Jackson’s hand,” Speights says while recalling what it was like to stand on the field and take selfies with team members.
Both Nee and Speights share that they’ve been attending Eagles games for decades. Nee says she’s attended upward of 50 games in total, while Speights says his attendance number can be rounded up to some 80 games. Both say they’ve never been so lucky before.
Their star treatment didn’t end with the envelope, though.
Soon after the video of the two Eagles fans’ reactions went viral on Instagram, the team reached out to them for another experience.
On Nov. 1, the two were brought in for a tour of the NovaCare Complex, the Philadelphia Eagles’ home and training facility. Nee’s daughter Cynthia Fillmore — the first person Nee called when she learned she’d received sideline passes — was also in attendance after receiving an invite.
Nee and Speights were treated to an extravagant lunch, visited the coach’s press conference, and walked the practice fields and the weight rooms. They met Eagles insider Dave Spadaro, wide receiver A.J. Brown and defensive end Brandon Graham, among others.
“I’m surprised Marie’s conscious,” Speights laughs. “She hugged everybody in the building. Everybody in the building.”
For Nee, a highlight was having wide receiver Britain Covey treat her like she was the star.
“I didn’t see him, but he called 'Marie! Marie! Marie!' He called my name!” she says. “He goes, ‘I love you!’”
“These people were so humble and so nice to each of us. I mean, it was unbelievable,” she adds. “That’s what kind of got to me because, you know, (they) could have said ‘hi,’ you know, and then just went on their merry way or whatever, but they didn’t. ... Anyway, I bleed green now.”
