Cam Newton’s viral moment on a flight from Paris — during which he offered another passenger $1,500 to let him sit in the exit row for extra leg room — was shared with the world courtesy of a former football player who has quite a story of his own.
Elisara (Eli) Edwards was returning from Paris after the trip when he caught the interaction between the Carolina Panthers star and a stranger. Edwards’ trip included a proposal to his now-fiancé Jennifer Johnson at the ongoing Women’s World Cup – where her younger sister, Estelle, was making her debut in the tournament with the Cameroon women’s national team.
For Edwards, both events showed the power of social media as he made his way back to the U.S. The Colorado State grad also played defensive end for the Rams and sympathized with the NFL star over the size of plane seating, and with the stranger whose claim of being “6-foot-4 and with buddies,” caused him to turn down the cash.