Young Chiefs fan’s mom backs Raiders star Jack Jones over ‘Grinch’ row after he appeared to taunt her son by snatching a touchdown ball away from him – only to claim an adult supporter tried to grab the ball instead

The mother of the Chiefs fan who appeared to be taunted with a touchdown ball by Raiders star Jack Jones on Christmas Day is backing the NFL player's version that he took the ball back when an adult tried to take it away.

During their Christmas Day showdown against the Chiefs, the Raiders cornerback took a pick-six from Patrick Mahomes and returned it for a 33-yard touchdown. After helping Las Vegas take a 17-7 lead, Jones ran to the stands to hand the ball to a young Chiefs fan.

However, Jones appeared to have taunted the boy by pulling the ball away before he could get to it. The moment went viral as fans criticized Jones for the act and dubbed him the Grinch.

But Jones later went to X and defended himself, saying, “I didn't take the ball from the kid. It was that black [sic] guy who tried to take it, look at the lollipop again.”

And now the child's mother Tessa has tried to clear things up once and for all with her own post on Facebook.

“Story time!” she wrote. “Yesterday my 11 year old went viral. Like 30 million viral views because you were on the receiving end of an NFL grin. But the headlines are wrong: there is more to the story. The real grinch here is the one who vilified a player whose heart was actually in the Christmas spirit.

“We flew to KC to spend Christmas with my parents and were able to get a front row seat for the Kansas City Chiefs game at well below cost, courtesy of longtime season ticket holders who know and love my sweet children.

“It was their first NFL game, my second. If you know Logan, you know he is an absolute sports fanatic and a die-hard Chiefs fan. And if you know Lucy, you know there are few things she loves more than the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift (and you know this mom tried so hard to get tickets but failed and couldn't afford can afford secondary tickets).

“That's why going to the game with my dad was the perfect gift – hopefully a Taylor spotting and lots of football. Lucy ended up on CBS with her “Go Taylor's boyfriend” sign, and Logan? Well, he became 'Twitter famous.'

When Las Vegas Raiders Jack Jones intercepted a Mahomes pass for a pick 6, Jones looked at the fans lining the end zone and made eye contact with Logan. Jones grinned at him as he ran upstairs – he was trying his hardest to find a child.

'As a mother I could only smile. You forget the rivalry at that moment. You forget the Raider Hater chants you grew up with. You even forget that your beloved Chiefs are losing and the opponent just scored on a turnover. All you see is the moment through your child's eyes: this will mean the world to him.

'And it would be so. The video circulated like wildfire. Sports Illustrated ESPN FanDuel Fox News Barstool Sports The Kansas City Star – literally hundreds of outlets, and some, with the best clickbait headline of all time: “Raiders Jack Jones goes all out on the kid.”

“But when you watch the video, you don't see the guy behind me literally sitting on my back trying to get the ball. You don't see the other Chiefs fans yelling at the players for being bad.

Jones took the ball away when a fan reached over the top of the child and tried to grab the ball

The Chiefs later give the young fan an autographed ball from Kansas City linebacker Willie Gay

“You don't see the Raiders players taunting the fans (and the one who turned off the crowd, as my 12-year-old daughter noted). Jones tried to give Logan the ball and pulled him back when the man behind me started swatting and cursing. Logan was, of course, devastated.

“I was obviously so disappointed for him, and beyond annoyed that an adult ruined this moment (side note: the 'old guy' people were referring to on Twitter next to Logan who was also trying to get the ball was my dad trying 100% to assist). And, to make matters worse, during this whole event, Logan's hot chocolate that I had just gotten him – a special treat (who spends $10 on hot chocolate?!? #christmas) – got spilled all over him. Poor kid.

Anyway, Chiefs certainly tried to make amends in the third quarter – they saw the incident on Twitter and brought him a signed ball from Willie Gay. So awesome. And at the same time, that moment will never be replaced – the gift that was there and then wasn't, and then the aftermath of seeing the thousands of insults directed at him on Twitter (spoiled child with front row seats, stupid child, etc.) . If you knew Logan, you would know that he is an amazing, grateful, empathetic and hilarious kid who just really loves sports.

“It's a good lesson for all of us: there's always more to the story or another angle to look at, and give people the benefit of the doubt unless you have a front-row seat to their intentions. As adults, we all need to do better for our next generation of sports fans and people.

“Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. And Clark Hunt, if you're reading this, Taylor Swift tickets for Lucy to Indy (my brother lives there, so we have a place to stay) and a signed Travis Kelce shirt for Logan would really make it better. (Totally joking… only 30 million views… you have to ask, right)?”

Tessa also shared photos from the family day, including one of her sons holding his autographed Chiefs ball.