Darius Maxwell is a proud Florida native. Broward County to be precise, where football players are molded by the thousands in the swampy mud and emerge protective of the land that raised them.
So on a Southern California day in March, when Maxwell found himself surrounded by quarterbacks who were forged in the Cali sun, he drew a line in the sand.
It resulted in a moment, and subsequent video that has gone viral this week, showing Maxwell intercepting Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, then reveling in the moment by handing the back-to-back MVP the ball as he ran by in celebration.
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As Maxwell continued down the field, Rodgers laughed and launched the ball back toward Maxwell in jest.
The Fort Lauderdale native now can boast of an achievement that even NFL defensive backs don’t get to experience very often. In Rodgers’ 17-year NFL career, the four-time MVP has thrown only 93 interceptions. That’s an average of 5.4 per season.
Maxwell arrived at the annual RX3 charity flag football game with his teammates from Saddleback College (of Mission Viejo, California) just wanting to have some fun. The junior college wide receiver was placed with his friends on a team featuring Carson Palmer, the longtime NFL quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner.
Palmer and his brother, Jordan, help organize the event that is put on by RX3, an investment group that lists Rodgers as a partner. The Palmer brothers, Rodgers, Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold, Matt Leinart and Josh Allen, among others, made up the roster of California-native passers who were quarterbacking the teams that day at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in action against the San Francisco 49ers during a NFC Divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field.
California and Florida, along with Texas, take turns producing the most lauded high school, college and NFL football talent….