Sporting New York Giants jerseys, hats, sweatshirts and even Italian flag headbands, hundreds of fans waited outside a Livingston, N.J., restaurant last week just to take a photo with Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito.
A DJ even played “The Sopranos” theme song as fans braved the cold and windy afternoon in the hopes of spending a brief moment with New York’s latest star. Once inside Bubbakoo’s Burritos, they shuffled through to pose with the 25-year-old quarterback from nearby Cedar Grove, N.J. He signed some autographs for the owner of the restaurant and some other VIPs before posing for photos, selfies and even a few videos with the hundreds of fans eager to meet him. Of course, most of them included his famous finger-pinch gesture — the symbol of DeVito’s rise to stardom.
Kids giggled and smiled as they exited the restaurant while some even purchased gear from DeVito’s mom, Lexy DeVito, who unloaded boxes of “Tommy Cutlets” merchandise. As of last week, she’d sold more than 3,500 shirts. Shirts on a new website are going for $35 a pop.
Bubbakoo’s was one stop amid a busy day of appearances across New Jersey for the Giants quarterback. Once done at Bubbakoo’s, DeVito headed to Coniglio’s Old Fashioned pizza and bakery in Morristown for a surprise stop and then signed autographs and took photos at the Hobby Hive in East Hanover.
“It’s been exciting,” Lexy DeVito said last week. “It’s been overwhelming. We’re enjoying every week as it comes to us. We’re truly blessed that he made it this far.”
DeVito’s football career has seemed fairy tale-esque since he became the Giants’ starter in early November. He burst onto the scene with a fun story — a local kid playing for his hometown team while simultaneously embracing his Italian heritage. On the field, he led the one-win Giants to three straight victories, including a come-from-behind thriller against the Green Bay Packers on the national stage of “Monday Night Football.”
But DeVito’s story doesn’t seem to be getting the full happily-ever-after treatment.
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