After wowing the nation on YouTube with her pee-wee football moves, running back Sam Gordon is going to the Super Bowl.
On Wednesday, the Gordon family got a card from the NFL offering the 9-year-old phenom tickets to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
"I think it's going to be really cool, plus I get to sit next to the NFL commissioner maybe," Gordon said.
Gordon met NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during a trip to New York. She sat next to him during a New York Giants game in December, which he attended with his 11-year-old twin daughters. Gordon said Goodell was a very nice person, even though he said he couldn't cheer when the Giants scored because he had to be neutral.
"[Goodell] thinks she is an inspirational story for football, youth football, and the participation of girls in sports," said NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello, who confirmed the invitation.
It was one of a dozen or so travel opportunities Gordon has received since her father, Brent, posted a video of her 1,911-yard season with a Salt Lake City area youth football team. In it, she breaks through defenders and speeds downfield.
Brent Gordon said the commissioner alluded to the possibility of a Super Bowl invitation during their visit to New York. The Gordons ran into him while touring the NFL offices the morning after the Giants game.
"As we were leaving, Roger Goodell walked in and said, 'Sam, would you like to go to the Super Bowl? Well, maybe you should ask Santa Claus,'" Brent said.
Sam said it is hard to believe this all got started with a video.
"I just think it's really weird that it happened that fast and how people found it," she said.