Last Sunday, Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey had the chance to win the game for his team with a last-second field goal. Instead, he missed, hitting the left upright and the cross bar, and the Philadelphia Eagles held onto their 16-15 lead to advance to the divisional round of the 2019 NFL Playoffs in miraculous fashion.
The now infamous "Double Doink" has been a moment of sorrow for the Bears faithful and an event celebrated by Birds fans all week. Philly fans even tried to send Parkey money through Venmo to thank him for missing the kick. The 26-year old appeared on the Today show this morning to discuss the worst moment of his professional career. Parkey seems to be handling the situation well in its aftermath.
"As a kicker, you live for those moments. I was 3-for-3 before that. I had a lot of confidence going into that kick," said Parkey. "Obviously, I'm disappointed. I let the fans, my teammates, and the whole organization down, but I'll continue to keep my head held high because football is what I do. It's not who I am."
Anyone who scrolled through Twitter after the botch might be wondering, "How is he so levelheaded after seeing all of the horrible things people have been saying about him?" Well, the answer is pretty simple. He hasn't even seen any of it.
"I haven't been on social media or anything like that," he said.
While video footage later revealed that Parkey's 43-yard attempt was actually tipped by Eagles defensive tackle Treyvon Hester on its way up, that hasn't stopped fans from placing the blame squarely on the kicker's shoulders.
Someone who was definitely happy Parkey shanked his potential game-winner was Eagles quarterback and savior, Nick Foles. With his team's wild card round win, Foles was awarded a $1 million bonus.
The defending champs look to continue their magical postseason run when they head down to New Orleans this Sunday to face the Saints—a team that blew them out 48-7 earlier in the season.
