PHOENIX — A Valley boy is receiving hundreds of text messages meant for an NFL player from Arizona.
Lincoln Shreck, 12, finally got his own phone this year.
"I was very excited about it," Shreck said.
Ever since he's been receiving text messages from strangers.
"We assumed it had to be somebody's old number," Shreck said.
Shreck and his parents didn't think much of these texts until last weekend when his phone was ringing off the hook.
"I was responding 'wrong number' to as many as I could, and after a couple of them, somebody responded that it was the former number of an NFL player," Shreck said.
He's referring to NFL player Ricky Pearsall.
Pearsall is a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers now, but back when he had this phone number, he was a student-athlete at Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe.
"I was just kind of shocked and confused," Shreck said.
All of the messages Shreck is receiving now are words of support.
"Hey Ricky, I know you probably have a new number," Shreck read from a message. "Praying for you tonight."
Pearsall is expected to be OK after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco.
Shreck said he's received hundreds of "get well" text messages for the football player.
"I'm sure he's getting a lot of feel-better texts but he's getting more than he's even seeing," Shreck said.
Shreck didn't watch football or know who Pearsall was before this, but now he wants to make sure Pearsall knows he's loved and cared for.
"I mainly hope that this just gets to Ricky," Shreck said. "I think that's very important for him to know because I know he's going through a very hard time right now."
Ricky Pearsall, if you remember your old phone number, there's a boy on the other end of the line waiting to pass along a few messages.
"Really glad you're okay, kid. God bless you. We love you," Shreck read in a message for the player.
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