11-yr-old girl faced her first father-daughter dance without her dad — then a kind NFL player stepped in

A Philadelphia Eagles player took time out of his busy schedule to escort an 11-year-old to her school's daddy-daughter dance. Audrey Soape lost both her father and grandfather in 2021 and so when the school's dance got closer, her mother, Holly, reached out to Eagles safety Anthony Harris, who is Audrey's favorite NFL player. Even though Holly felt it was a long shot, Harris agreed straight away. "I told him about the situation, and surprisingly he was more than willing to do it," said Holly Soape, reported Fox News. "It happened really fast. He said yes probably about a week before, so it was kind of a whirlwind."

"I was so anxious and excited for her because she just had the most terrible year," said Holly. "For someone to show up and to teach her that people do show up for you, it's just been beyond a blessing." Not only did Harris turn up for her, but he also paid for Audrey's dress, shoes, hair and makeup for the big event. "She just felt like a princess all night," said Holly. “He was so kind and so sweet and just made the entire night so special for her.”

“[I was] just trying to be a human,” Harris told NBC 10 in Philadelphia. “Trying to take off the helmet, trying to take off the cape of what I do professionally and just show some sympathy for that family and try to show some support there.” Audrey couldn't believe Harris was escorting her to the school dance. “A normal player would probably be like ‘I don’t have time for this. I have to be focused for next season or the playoffs,'” said Audrey. “But he took time out of his schedule to take me, so that was pretty special.”

Audrey was nervous about meeting her favorite NFL player but says Harris broke the ice. "I was very nervous because I didn't know what I was going to say," said Audrey. "At first it was kind of awkward because we weren't talking yet… But then he kind of came up and started talking to me." When asked about Harris' dance moves, "They were very good," Audrey says with a laugh. "This sassy, hilarious, beautiful 11-year-old got the surprise of HER LIFE last night when her hero and idol, Philadelphia Eagles Safety, Harris showed up to escort her to a dance she’d been looking forward to!" wrote @Vemberphoto who clicked the pictures. "Sweet moment. She got all dolled up and danced the night away! WHAT A DREAM!!"

Instagram users lauded Harris for making time for the 11-year-old. "Real men show up! This is awesome!! Good things do happen each day because of people like you!🙌🏻 " wrote one user. "My new favorite NFL player! A heartwarming story that says so much about you and your character!" commented one user. Another user added, "That’s so awesome. What an amazing day for that young girl. You are truly one of the few that would actually take time to do this." Harris joined the Eagles after spending six years with the Vikings. When Harris was asked about escorting the little girl, he responded, “You gotta cherish these moments. You never know how long we have here on this Earth. So, the people that you care about and you love, show support for them.”

This article originally appeared 2 years ago.