Baseball and American football are like two different paths diverging in a forest. While countless on-cam baseball incidents, which even the official MLB has hailed as “epic fan catches,” have been regarded as wholesome developments over the years, the NFL mostly swings a different way. On Sunday (US time), a Buffalo Bills fan gained viral fame on social media after catching a pass from Josh Allen in the stands. What followed was a thrilling and hilarious play-by-play commentary on his escape from the stadium.

The incident took place during the third quarter of the New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills game, as quarterback Josh Allen’s pass flew past the end zone and into the stands. A keen-eyed fan sporting Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano’s No 58 jersey seeking to make the most of the opportunity stood ready to catch the ball.

Once he did, he quickly made off with its, darting off his seat and simply jetting off into the background. Sprinting up the stairs of Highmark Stadium, he presumably took off for the exit, not even turning back once, to avoid being held back by any security on the premises.

NFL announcer Mike Tirico wins points for ‘gold’ commentary as Bills fan escapes with ball

NBC broadcaster Mike Tirico played his part in offering a play-by-play commentary of the development, leaving even the person handling the official NFL account on X in splits. “The Bill fans in the Matt Milano jersey had his moment,” the NFL profile tweeted alongside a laughing emoji and the now-viral clip. Even the official Buffalo Bills page couldn’t hold back from praising Tirico’s “gold” commentary.

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Meanwhile, Tirico earned his own show-stealing moment, as he called out the action: “He’s gone, Milano! Milano’s gonna go! He’s in row 10! He’s in row 15! He might get a beer! Milano where you going man? It’s your moment! Milano row 40, led by Allen, he’s gonna take it the distance!”

The commentator continued, “Maybe it wasn’t his seat, maybe he doesn’t wanna be on TV… he’s gone!”

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Fans instantly equated the development with the infamous ‘ColdplayGate,’ which caught former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and ex-HR chief Kristin Cabot ducking out of the camera’s focus after their little canoodling moment made controversial waves on social media, sparking “affair” rumours. Some even noticed its twisted similarity with the ‘Phillies Karen‘ controversy, which witnessed a Philadelphia Phillies jersey-wearing baseball woman berating a father for grabbing a home run ball for his son.

While the Bills fan presumably enjoyed his highlight of the day, having stolen an NFL ball and possibly walked away unscathed, his favourite team suffered a 23-20 home loss to the Patriots.

“Was this a Cold Play situation?” someone quipped online. Meanwhile, another user said, “Surprisingly the NFL is promoting a fan stealing a ball during their game. They will still probably ban this guy,” considering that NFL isn’t necessarily on the same page as MLB about souvenir ball catches. A sports writer jokingly called it the “most exciting moment of the whole game.”

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Others even hailed Mike Tirico’s commentary. “One of my favourite announcer calls ever,” someone wrote. Meanwhile, someone resorted to explaining why the Bills fan chose to dart off the scene: “For anyone wondering why they’re running, if a ball is thrown into the stands NFL wants it back. It’s considered league property. A fan can only keep a ball if it’s given to them by a player (like Cam Newton used to do).”

Several others also weighed in on the possibility of the ball already having hit eBay. And yet another said that he just ran away because he “was scared of that Philly lady to come and say it is hers.”