You could imagine her surprise when Mary McCusker opened a mysterious package containing a Philadelphia Eagles No. 1 jersey bearing "McCusker" on the back. McCusker, owner of The Pub on Main Street in Jamestown, N.Y., was the recipient of a recent act of kindness by NFL Commissioner (and Jamestown native) Roger Goodell, per Scott Kindberg of The Post-Journal.
Kindberg chronicled the career of the hometown hero in a column for The Post-Journal following Jim's death. In it, he called for The Pub to display a No. 1 Jamestown High School jersey to honor the late McCusker.
Initially, Mary believed the jersey was the doing of an employee, who attempted to replace an Eagles jersey that was lost in a fire at The Pub. The gift's origin, however, was a complete surprise for her. As Mary pulled the jersey out of the box, two cards (one for Mary, the other for Kindberg) and a return address label from the league office fell out.
Mary's card read, "I'm sorry for the loss of your husband Jim. The article in The Post-Journal was a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man. I hope this jersey can hang in The Pub as a reminder of the special man he was," according to Kindberg.
Kindberg's card displayed, "I recently read your wonderful article on Jim McCusker. Thanks for sharing with all of us what a wonderful man he was as well as an NFL legend. I hope they can find a spot to hang this at The Pub."
Both cards were signed, "Roger."
"Someone either sent him the article or he subscribes to The Post-Journal online,'' Mary said. "He had to read the whole thing. You know it involved the article, because of the No. 1 on the jersey."
