Sergeant Jared Rogers and Detective Thomas Greer of the Raytown Police Department were simply doing their job when they saved a fan's life in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot on Sept. 17th.
They didn't do it to be recognized or to garner any attention, and they certainly didn't expect anything in return for their actions that day.
But when Kansas City Chiefs' running back Kareem Hunt visited the two officers this past Friday, he didn't give them a choice.
Kansas City's rookie tailback, clad in a Santa hat, instead offered them the opportunity of a lifetime.
"We were just having a department meeting today to talk about ways we could build morale, because we've lost some people recently, and we were throwing out some ideas to try to help everybody get in a more positive state of mind," Rogers said.
"Then Kareem Hunt showed up."
Hunt asked for both Rogers and Greer to join him at the front of the room, where he thanked them for their service to the community.
He then reached for what was resting on the podium and handed one to each of the officers.
"Enjoy the Super Bowl," Hunt said with a smile.
The two men were holding tickets to Super Bowl LII this February in Minneapolis, with all travel and hotel costs covered.
Those in attendance erupted while Rogers and Greer looked at the tickets in disbelief.
"Going to the Super Bowl is something that I've always wanted to do but never thought would actually happen," Greer said. "I just have no words…I'm in shock. Usually I'm the one that has lots to say, but for this…it's just crazy. I never thought in my wildest dreams this would ever happen.
"We were just doing our job with no expectation whatsoever."
Greer was referencing the incident in the parking lot this past September, when the two men came across a fan in critical condition.
"Tom and I were rovers that day, going around to different gates to see if anybody needed a break," Rogers recalled. "We were walking when a medical call went out and we just happened to be 50 or so feet away, so we were the first ones there and we found this guy who had just collapsed."
The two officers called for medical assistance before administering aid of their own.
"We felt a pulse – a real slight one – so we began to stabilize him, but when we checked for his pulse again, it was gone," Rogers explained. "That's when we prepared to administer CPR and other life-saving measures. We also had some firemen that gathered around and started helping us that deserve a lot of the credit."
The officers' efforts that day kept the fan alive until an ambulance managed to maneuver through the crowd and take him to the hospital.
The fan went on to make a full recovery and was honored on the field with the two men - who were recognized as "Hometown Heroes" - prior to a game several weeks later.
His survival was a direct result of the officers' quick thinking and actions that day.
"I think most folks who do our job would agree that we don't do it for the recognition," Rogers said. "We were just trying to do right by this guy and give him every chance to survive."
And despite their reluctance for the attention, Hunt caught notice.
"Those guys are heroes to me," Hunt said. "It's pretty cool that I had a chance to do something like this. It's around Christmas time and I just love being able to give back and make each of these guys' days."
Hunt did just that, giving the two men the opportunity to watch America's greatest spectacle in person, even if they were simply just doing what they deemed the right thing to do.
"I just love being a police officer and when we do our job, we don't expect anything from it," Greer said. "That's why we do our job."
