NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — 17-year-old Max has been through a number of trials and tribulations in his short life, but the Titans, with the help of Youth Villages, helped deliver a moment Max will never forget.
“It was the experience of a lifetime,” said Max’s adoptive father, Kevin.
For years, Max bounced around the foster care system, in and out of horrible situations.
“They took my phone and everything, I wore what they told me to wear, and I slept in a room by myself with nothing in there with a bed,” Max said. “It was just horrible.”
Until he landed in the care of Kevin and Suzanne Richardson. The temporary arrangement is now forever, after Max asked the couple to adopt him.
“Well I’m just glad that I can take care of him,” Richardson said. “You know I mean and I see and then as he tells us what he’s been doing and the life he’s had, I mean, I’m glad at what I do.”
Max has since made straight A’s in school and even got a job to save up for college and to buy a car. The Titans and Youth Villages felt he deserved the trip of a lifetime, to Super Bowl 57.
“I’m pretty pumped to be able to surprise him and his dad,” said Titans tight end Austin Hooper.
“I mean, walking in here, just think they’re getting a tour of the building, so be able to come in and give him his dad some Super Bowl tickets to be able to meet the both of them, spend a little bit of time with them. It’ll just be awesome. And I’m sure it’ll definitely, you know, lift up their spirits.”
“It just motivates me so much to be, like, better at my life,” said Max. “I would just find myself thinking about my grandma She would always tell me, like, when we’d be going through something rough. She lived with me growing up, and so she passed away, and she would always tell me everything’s going to be OK. Just pray and know that God got us.”
Unfortunately, the Richardson house in Hohenwald burned three days after Christmas. Everything max owned was lost in the fire.
“I still just looked up because we still had something to look forward to. And we still got a house and we still got a roof over our head and we’re getting everything back. I’m blessed. I just I just been feeling blessed.”
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off in Super Bowl 57. Kick off is set for Sunday at 5:30 CT.