FILE PHOTO: Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (98) leaves the field after the game against the New Orleans Saints at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images/File Photo
(Reuters) - Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton said it was a natural reaction to catch a child who fell headfirst from the lower level of the stands after a game in North Carolina at the weekend.
A video posted on social media showed Wharton, 26, lunge forward and catch the child, who lost his balance and fell from the lower tier after the Chiefs' 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Wharton, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, lifted the child and put him back in the stands, which are about three metres high, according to local media reports.
"I'd say it was natural reaction," Wharton told ESPN's 'The Pat McAfee Show' on Tuesday. "Usually when I leave the game, I try to throw my gloves in the crowd and I think I heard my name a little bit and when I heard my name I seen him coming down.
"I kind of grabbed him right by the back ... and kind of pushed him into the stands a little bit more."
Wharton added he would like to invite the young fan to a Chiefs game in the future.
The Chiefs, who are top of the AFC West, play the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
