The friends-and-family bus ride to the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, March 21, took a dramatic and frightening turn when a woman was struck by a car in front of the bus.
Thankfully, Teesa Mpagi, fiancée of Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., was there to step in.
“Winfield’s fiancée leaped off the bus without hesitation to provide aid, staying by the victim’s side, holding her hand, calling her husband for support and offering comfort until emergency vehicles arrived,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday, March 22.
Mpagi wasn’t done yet. She also accompanied the woman to the hospital in an ambulance, according to Schefter, 59.
The ESPN insider added that EAG Sport employees, Alexandra Garcia and Cecilia Macris, also helped out, while EAG CEO Denise White directed traffic to keep the area clear.
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic featured the Team USA flag football team going up against two squads full of current and former NFL players. In addition to Winfield, 27, the event featured Tom Brady, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Stefon Diggs and more. Team USA ultimately prevailed, defeating Burrow’s Wildcats team in the championship game.
Brady, 48, expressed his excitement for the event beforehand, hoping it would serve as a showcase for flag football before the sport debuts at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
“Having Team USA as the third team in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic elevates the already world-class talent participating in this tournament,” Brady previously shared in a statement. “I’m fired up to see how these teams stack up, and the fact that we’ll be playing in the same stadium that will host flag football during the Olympics will show the world a preview of what’s to come in 2028. But I’m not coming back to the football field to lose. That’s for damn sure.”
While Brady was the headliner of the Fanatics event, Aaron Rodgers led a similar tournament in the RX3 Charity Flag Football in Mission Viejo, California.
“We love seeing flag football having a moment right now, especially with LA28 on the horizon,” Nate Raabe, cofounder and managing partner at RX3 Growth Partners, shared with Us Weekly in the leadup to the game. “The main difference with our [event] is that our quarterbacks aren’t showing up for a paycheck. They’re showing up for a cause. Every quarterback and team sponsor in our tournament is playing for a charity they’ve chosen.”
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