It’s the dream of every sports fan that also enjoys prowling garage sales for memorabilia: Pull up to a house that is chock full of items owned by an NFL player and open your wallet. It’s a treasure trove.
That's how Packers fans felt in De Pere, Wisconsin, as former Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy kicked off what was supposed to be a two-day garage sale, with proceeds going to charity. Lacy, who spent the last four seasons with Green Bay, signed with the Seattle Seahawks during the offseason. On Friday, his discounted Packers gear — plus the normal fare that one might find at a garage sale, like video games, movies, furniture and even laundry detergent — drew a large crowd. Some buyers waited several hours to purchase items, ESPN reported.
The sale was a success. It was basically sold out before dinner, according to The Associated Press. T-shirts, unused cleats, Packer hoodies and even more Green Bay swag was gone within hours.
Lacy, himself, was a no-show, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported. That was ironic because he postponed the sale in April when he couldn't get to Green Bay because of travel problems.
"He doesn't like the attention," said Melissa Martinez of De Pere. She said she hung out with Lacy from time to time and was there to buy a few things.
Tide detergent had a sponsorship agreement with Lacy, a former Alabama Crimson Tide running back, thus the several large bottles of Tide at the sale, the Press-Gazette reported. Those were quickly scooped up, including by Martinez and her aunt.
A resourceful neighbor tried to cash in on the large traffic at Lacy’s house, advertising a “Right Next Door to Eddie Lacy Garage Sale.”
Lacy spent four seasons with the Packers, rushing for 788 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was limited to five games during the 2016 season when he suffered an ankle injury and the Packers placed him on injured reserve.
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