GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Max Minor and Adam Herzog haven't seen their best friend, Jake Olek, since November 2019.
Olek has been serving in the navy in Hawaii, so the two friends chipped in to buy Olek a jersey of his favorite Packers player, AJ Dillon.
"We thought, might as well make a TikTok, see if it blows up, if it goes anywhere," said Minor. "See if we can get his attention. And it did, and it surprised us like crazy."
In the TikTok, they asked the rookie running back if he could sign the jersey for their best friend. It ended up getting almost 200 thousand likes, with Dillon eventually seeing the video too. He offered to meet the young fans in the Lambeau Field parking lot to sign the jersey for Olek.
"Obviously respect for what his friend is doing and his time and his service," said Dillon. "I was like, you know, it's the least I can do."
@ajdillon2 #duet with @.maxwelll shoutout to you guys, and thank you Jake for your service! Happy Holidays and Go Pack Go!!
"It was unbelievable because I'm a huge Packers fan, and I always wanted to meet Packer players," said Herzog. "He's becoming a star, I can see it now, he's a rookie and he's going to be great, so I'm just thankful I got to meet him. He's a great guy."
The friends shipped out the shirt later that day, and Olek's reaction after opening the gift was priceless.
@.maxwelll The part you’ve all been waiting for, thank you guys again for everything! ##wisconsin ##packers ##navy ##fyp ##holidays
"It warmed my heart because I was thinking about Jake, he didn't really get any Christmas presents from anybody really because he's all the way in Hawaii," said Herzog. "It really made his day, and made my day, because he was so happy about it. He's one of my best friends, so it's good to see that."
With the playoffs this weekend, Minor is grateful Dillon took the time out of his busy schedule to do this for them, he said.
“It means a ton," said Minor. "He’s a super humble, down-to-earth individual. He’s a super great guy, super nice. We really appreciate it.”
