Skip to content

Florida State's Rudolph gifts jersey, tickets to autistic boy

John David Mercer / USA TODAY Sports

Last week, Travis Rudolph surprised autistic middle schooler Bo Paske by joining him for lunch, and this week, he he had another surprise in store.

The Florida State wide receiver presented Bo and his mother Leah with a Seminoles jersey and tickets to Monday night's game against Ole Miss in a segment on ESPN aired Monday morning.

Rudolph explained how his lunch with Bo came to be.

"I saw him sitting by himself, and when I asked him, can I sit down and eat with him, he just welcomed me to him, like, 'Sure, why not?' and he opened up and had a conversation with me," Rudolph said.

The Seminoles football team visited a local Orlando middle school Tuesday to meet and greet students on their first week back. That's when Rudolph noticed Bo alone at lunch and decided to join him. A picture of the pair eventually went viral and found its way to Bo's mother, who was incredibly appreciative of Rudolph's act.

Leah told The Associated Press that since Rudolph's visit, Bo's had lots of company at lunch.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox