Detroit Lions surprise lifelong fan with Thanksgiving game, Super Bowl tickets

(CBS DETROIT) — There are a lot of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, especially if you're a Detroit Lions fan.

Their hot start is better than most fans typically expect heading into the football season, and now the Lions are showing their gratitude to their supporters.

It starts with Samantha Stonecipher, who donates to the Detroit Lions Foundation every time they snag an interception. The amount she donates is based on the jersey number of the player who secured the turnover, so when the Lions noticed several $31 and $32 donations, they said 'thank you' in a very unique way.

Defensive backs Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, the two players who've fueled much of Stonecipher's philanthropy this year, actually reached out to her on FaceTime to thank her and deliver quite the surprise.

"I'm like, wait a minute, how are you on my phone right now? It was just so shocking and so cool. I thought that was the surprise the Lions were talking about," said Stonecipher.

That was just the start.

"How is this real, and I'm still reeling from the shock of talking to them until they say, 'The Detroit Lions would love to have you as their guest for the Thanksgiving game,'" she said.

From her flight to the hotel to the tickets, the Lions covered every expense, likely exceeding the hundreds of dollars Stonecipher already donates to the team.

"We're also doing a sideline experience, which is going to be kind of wild because they said it's going to be a meet and greet. It's where the players and the celebrities are, and I'm like, 'Okay,'" Stoneciper said.

As thankful as she is, this experience goes to show how thankful this team is for their fans.

"I love it because it just shows how much paying it forward manifests itself back to you, and it's just really cool to see it happen that way," she said.

If an all-expense-paid trip to the Lion's sacred Thanksgiving game wasn't enough, they took it a step further. To truly show how thankful they are for a fan like Samantha, the Lions honored her with tickets to the 2025 Super Bowl down in New Orleans while she was on the sidelines today.