Chris Chase of Shutdown Corner is reporting that Cliff Forrest Jr., a Pittsburgh-area 10-year-old, took $8,500 out of his college savings account to buy William "the Refrigerator" Perry's Super Bowl XX ring. He then returned the ring to the football legend. Forrest's mother allowed the boy to dip into his hefty college fund to get the money to buy the ring after seeing it at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant in New York. Forrest's father, Cliff Forrest Sr., says he would not have allowed the boy to make the purchase, but the boy's mother is a "little more softhearted."
Shortly after the purchase, Forrest Jr. learned of Perry's battle with Guillain-Barre syndrome and decided to return the ring to Perry. The boy told Sportscenter. "He only played in one Super Bowl … I thought he would want it more than I did."
Forrest Jr. and his mother worked diligently to get in touch with "the Fridge," who welcomed the gift. Perry, who was a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, won the Super Bowl XX ring in a 46-10 win over the New England Patriots and put the ring up for auction in 2007. Forrest Jr. flew to Chicago to meet Perry, receiving two signed jerseys with the note "The Fridge, Thanks!" and five signed football cards.
That was a sweet gesture for the boy to make, but taking money out of a college fund for a Super Bowl ring is a no-no. Forrest Jr. and his mom would have had to Super Bowl Shuffle his way back to the bank or an auction site to recoup the money. We suppose, if you have a "hefty" college fund where you can take $8,500 and spend it all willy-nilly, that there's more where that came from. Call us crazy, but the idea of a 10-year-old spending that kind of money on anything is strange, let alone a Super Bowl ring that he intended to keep before learning of Perry's medical condition. We suppose it's the thought that counts, but still …
Read more at Yahoo.
In other news: Arizona: Guns Will Be Allowed on Campus.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.