Fans have been left in disbelief after discovering that a football player is only 12 years old... despite him having tattoos and facial hair.
Jeremiah Johnson - allegedly 12 - won the Under-12 MVP honors at the Youth National Championships in Miami over the weekend.
However, it isn't his sporting achievements that have gained him internet attention, but the sheer disbelief that he is 12 years old.
An image of Johnson was shared online leaving viewers stunned, as he appeared to have a rather large tattoo on the arm he was lifting his trophy with.
People declared that there is "no chance" that he is 12 years old, and joked that he probably "has a mortgage" and is going home to his wife and kids.
However, a video has been shared on TikTok where the footballer is asked about his age, and he candidly replies that he is indeed only 12.
TikTok account @hoodnews24 posted the video with the caption: "The Internet believes #Texas running back Jeremiah Johnson is actually a grown man but he’s only 12."
Viewers in the comments shared their disbelief, with one person stating: "I needs [sic] to see a birth certificate because there’s no way."
A second person said: "Nah i think he meant to say 21 and he holding his lil brother trophy," and a third added: "Bro goin [sic] to the club after the game."
When the images went viral on Facebook, more to this story came to light as someone commented: "He's 12. Two of my players faced him in Orlando last week. You never know nowadays. The Hawaii kids in the Little League World Series in August had some facial hair. One of my 8th graders is 13 and has a full beard. It can happen."
In the end, Johnson's mother took to Facebook to confirm that he is indeed 12 years old. She said: "Yes he’s on 12U (he meets ALL of the requirements). No, the tattoo isn’t real (duh). Yes, the goatee is tho [sic]."
So there we have it - Johnson apparently is 12 years old and is clearly lighting up his football league, so we could be seeing an NFL star in the making.
