4 Year Old Giants Fan's Special Moment at Midfield

For 4 year old Branford Rifflard of Ringwood it was a moment he won't soon forget.
He was in his father's arms near the 50-yard line at MetLife Stadium last Sunday, when -- moments before the Giants-Redskins game coin toss -- Giants Quarterback Eli Manning came over and said “hello” to him.

Brandon and his dad Scott were guests of the Giants as part of the team’s joint sponsorship with Children Specialized Hospital and PSEG of the game as a fund-raiser for the hospital.

Being invited to watch the game from the Giants Legacy Club is one thing; being down on the field to see his heroes up close and personal, is something else.

Brandon has Cerebral Palsy. He had recently undergone 8 hours of delicate micro-neurological surgery to his spine to increase his ability to walk. But his disability has not stopped him from being a huge Giants fan.

Decked out in his Eli Manning jersey, a Giants sweatshirt, jacket and cap, he was brought to the sidelines an hour before kickoff to watch the Giants warm up on the field.

It was windy and cold on the sidelines -- 29 degrees at game time. But Brandon didn't seem to mind. He was focused on the players. Smiling and waving to them. At one point Defensive End Osi Umenyiora stopped by a gave Brandon a “high-five”

And when Wide Receiver Victor Cruz stopped by to greet Brandon for a moment on his way off the field and into the clubhouse after the warm-ups, a big smile filled the little fan’s face.

This was not the first time Brandon had met Cruz. They had met during the filming of a Public Service Announcement announcing the special collaboration between the Giants, PSEG and Children's Specialized Hospital. And the week prior to this Giants-Redskins game, Cruz had come to the hospital to hand out gifts to children during the hospital's Christmas party.

But being at midfield for the coin toss was the pinnacle of the day.

And what was this 4-year-old's reaction? “That was exciting, that was great,” his father told me. “He loved it. Eli Manning said ‘hello’ to him.”

What a day of memories.