Joe Mixon Goes Above and Beyond for Cincinnati Family at Bengals Home Opener
The Bengals faced a lot of pressure going into their second divisional game of the year against the Ravens on Sunday, but that didn't stop Joe Mixon from hosting one of his biggest fans.
The Bengals lost 27-24, but the Spradlin’s gained a family day full of memories that will hopefully allow them to forget an incident that happened to them just three months ago.
Mixon hosted a five-year old boy and his family in his suite for the game after the boy bravely went to get his mom after a stranger approached him in his own yard.
Jamie Spradlin was getting her three children ready for a party when her then 4-year old son asked her if he could play in the front yard with a neighbor.
The Spradlin’s have been teaching their three kids about stranger danger since they could speak. Their son knew exactly what to do in the situation he faced with a stranger just steps from his front door.
“He comes running up saying, ‘mommy, mommy there’s a lady here and she says we can’t leave and she needs to talk to you,” Spradlin told All Bengals. “I walk out with the baby and all of our stuff and there she is standing at the edge of my driveway.”
The woman told Spradlin that she was with Child Protective Services and there was a complaint filed against the family.
“Then she showed me a badge to prove who she was and I’ve never been in that situation and I said, ‘OK,'” Spradlin said. “She starts asking questions, verifying my three children and their names."
Next the woman enters the Spradlin's home for what she called an "inspection."
"We do a tour of the house. Nothing seemed abnormal for me never being in this situation and then she says, ‘you guys are free to leave, I’ve done my investigation and she starts to leave, so I called Tim.”
“He said, ‘no, no, no that doesn’t sound right,'” Spradlin said.
Jamie’s husband Tim immediately knew that something was off as he listened to his wife’s story and pulled up the home security footage.
The home security video showed her putting her arm around Spradlin's young son and even stroking his hair. Watching a stranger touch their son sent chills down the Spradlin’s spines.
“After watching the video I wanted to throw up and I was scared at the same time,” Jamie said.
Tim told Jamie to get the kids away from the home and keep them safe while he told the police.
Norwood Police Department later arrested a woman in question named Lisa Nacrelli for criminal child enticement. She lives just a few blocks away from the Spradlin's.
During the home “inspection” Spradlin asked what the complaint was about, but according to the incident report obtained by All Bengals, Nacrelli told Spradlin that she could not disclose why she was there.
The Spradlin’s home security video went through the news cycle. Mixon saw the story and noticed that the little boy was wearing his jersey. He decided to turn a tough, scary moment for the Spradlin family into an unforgettable one.
"I saw the story and it was incredible that a little boy could escape a situation like that," Mixon said. "I tried to do anything I could to let him know that we are with him."
Mixon sent the little boy a signed jersey with a note that said, “Look forward to seeing you at our game vs. Baltimore! Who Dey!”
The Spradlin’s young son got to go to his first Bengals game on Sunday. He watched the game from Mixon’s personal suite and had the opportunity to meet the star running back before the game.
"To be in the position that I am right now and to be able to help, that's what we play this game for to be able to effect somebody's life in a positive manner," Mixon said.
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