Football legend Jerry Rice estimates he shows up at at least one wedding every weekend without being invited first.
“I’ve done it so many times,” he told The Ringer in an interview published Wednesday. “I’ve had some brides that start crying.”
“I tell them, ‘You’re not supposed to be crying for me,’” the former National Football League (NFL) wide receiver continued. “’Your groom is a different story.’”
“It’s so exciting to see their reaction. It’s usually, ‘Oh my god, I never thought I’d run into Jerry Rice on my wedding day.’”
Some Twitter users on Wednesday applauded Rice’s admission he has begun crashing weddings following his retirement from the NFL in 2006.
@JerryRice I’m getting married July 21st, 2018 at Ardenwood in Fremont. Just FYI. https://t.co/5uaZMmtxc6
— Aaron Silver 🌹 (@AARONxSILVER) October 4, 2017
JERRY RICE IS MY NEW HERO! https://t.co/MaYVe0aljq
— Patrick B. Barrins (@thepatrickblain) October 4, 2017
If Jerry Rice has crashed the wedding you're at, you're not catching the garter over the GOAT, gentlemen.
— Joshua Mann (@jdmann) October 4, 2017
I love this! @JerryRice was my favorite football player growing up. This is one of the coolest, most bizarre stories ever. #GOAT 🐐 https://t.co/9zeI04K53g
— Josh Hays (@ljhays4) October 4, 2017
Rice said he crashes weddings for one of two reasons, the first being that he finished a round of golf at a club or resort where a wedding is occurring.
The former professional athlete added he also appears at the events if he happens upon one while traveling for business.
“Sometimes there are weddings on Friday, too,” he said, noting he does not crash a wedding every Saturday or Sunday.
“I don’t mind getting out there and cutting a rug and having fun,” Rice added, noting he often hits the dance floor at weddings he finds. “It’s my nature.”
“I love people, and I want everything to be natural. I want to give people a memory. For some reason, it always turns out that they are so excited.”
Rice played in the NFL from 1985 to 2005, most notably notching 15 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
The wide receiver is widely considered one of football’s best, and he currently remains the NFL’s all-timer leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
