Leonard Pope TE for the Kansas City Chiefs saved the life of a six-year-old boy who was drowning, the Americus Times-Recorder reported.
Pope was attending a pool party over the weekend when fellow Americus native Anne Moore said her son Bryson began drowning.
“All of a sudden, I saw Bryson going down in the water and I started screaming,” said Moore, who knew Pope long before his playing days. “Leonard was inside, and he came out of nowhere and dove into the water without any hesitation, cell phone in his pocket and all. He saved my son’s life, and I am so thankful that he was there for me and my child.”
Moore told the Times-Recorder the 6-foot-8, 264-pound tight end was the only guest at the party who knew how to swim.
“The fact that he is normally at camp and could have been in Kansas City just proved to me that he was placed here to save my son from drowning, and I thank God that he was here,” Moore said. “He truly lived up to his nickname ‘Champ’ because he was truly a champion for me and my son this past weekend.”
Pope would normally be at training camp with the rest of the Chiefs if not for the NFL lockout.
Pope was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals out of the University of Georgia in 2006 and signed by the Chiefs in 2009.