ITV pundits burst into tears on live TV during Super Bowl coverage
ITV pundit Jason Bell broke down in tears live on TV.
The former NFL defensive back worked with Craig Doyle, Efe Obada and Osi Umenyiora on ITV's coverage of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII victory against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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After Usher's halftime show, the NFL debuted a moving advertisement for the Born To Play initiative, led by Super Bowl champion Umenyiora, who has long been at the forefront of the league's International Player Pathway.
In the ad, a young Ghanaian boy named Kwesi, obsessed with American football, runs through the streets of Accra playing an imaginary game with NFL stars Saquon Barkley, Cam Jordan, Justin Jefferson and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
His journey leads to him losing his ball to a dog, which he accidentally chases into an NFL Africa camp.
Reunited with his ball thanks to Umenyiora, the former New York Giants star tells him: “I know that look, I know that dream, I had the same one.
“See Kewsi, it doesn't have to be a dream anymore. It doesn't matter where you were born, as long as you were born to play.”
After the ad, ITV went back to their set at Allegiant Stadium, where tears rolled down Bell's face, while Umenyiora seemingly tried to hold back his own tears.
'I can't stop crying' Bell admitted.
“I remember he called and said he was going to do this, and he did it, and it changed so many lives.
“I'm just so proud of him. I saw how hard he worked. He worked so hard for this.
“He spent so much of his time, his money and so much effort on this.
“It means so much to so many people, and he does it heartlessly. He doesn't expect anything.
“And now the world sees that it was all him.”
And Bell wasn't the only ITV analyst moved by Umenyiora's ad.
Washington Commanders defensive end Efe Obada, who made his way to the NFL through the IPP, said“I resonate with that ad so much.
'I was once a Kwesi, I had that dream. And what Osi has done has honestly changed my life.
“He is a pioneer of international football and his legacy is bigger than football. It is bigger than what anyone could imagine.
“And I'm really grateful.”
In a press release of the NFL, Umenyiora said: “Talent is global, but opportunity is not.
“Opening doors for international athletes is not only a passion of mine, but it is a way to give back to future generations of athletes.
“The NFL is life-changing, and the path to playing the sport is now truly global.
“The league's international football development programs help transform the lives of young people and grow the game around the world.
“This campaign shows young people around the world that it doesn't matter where you were born, you were born to play.”
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