They won big, no baloney!

A Tennessee father and son duo vowed they’d be eating like kings after winning nearly $1 million on a $20 scratch-off ticket.

Jody — who chose not to share his last name — father purchased a $1 million Casino Nights Kentucky Lottery scratch-off game at a gas station in Adairville, Kentucky, on June 8, according to the Kentucky Lottery. 

After purchasing the ticket, Jody’s father, whose name wasn’t revealed, couldn’t wait to play and began scratching the ticket right at the Adairville Market, which is roughly 12 miles away from Springfield, Tennessee, where Jody lives.

“I said [to the clerk], ‘If I hit this million dollars, I ain’t ever eating bologna again,’” the father said, according to lottery officials.

The top prize was revealed within the first couple of rows, and he matched the three key symbols next to the top prize amount.

“It kind of shocked me,” the father said.

Ecstatic over the win, Jody’s father said he called his son immediately to break the joyful news.

“He went, ‘You’ll never believe what I just did,’” Jody told lottery officials.

“And, I said, ‘what?’ He said, ‘We just won a $1,000,000!’ I was sitting there thinking, yeah right, I don’t believe you!”

Jody’s father then hightailed over to his son’s home, where the two planned on driving to Kentucky Lottery Headquarters that following Monday and discussed how they would claim the prize.

The father-son team arrived at headquarters in Louisville on June 10 and opted for the lump sum of $700k.

Large lotto winners can choose between taking their winnings home as a lump sum or annuity payments.

But while at the headquarters to claim their prize, finding out that they had won a life-changing amount of money didn’t stop the father from performing chores around the house.

Jody’s father shared that he still hopped on his lawnmower and mowed his yard while they waited over the weekend to cash in the ticket, according to officials.

Jody shared that the duo planned to invest their new money after paying off all their bills.

“Houses are paid off. Cars paid off, done. We will be bill-free probably next week,” Jody shared.

“You become debt free, and you don’t have any bills.”

Since the father and son opted for the lump sum, lottery officials said they took home a check for $504,000 after taxes.

The gas station where the lucky ticket was bought will also receive a check for $7,000 for selling the winning ticket.

Hundreds of Middle Tennesseans gathered near in East Nashville Saturday to paint the city’s first rainbow crosswalks as a celebration of LGBTQ pride.

The event, which was sponsored by Metro Councilman Clay Capp, drew scores of elected officials, community members and a couple of protesters.

The crosswalk intersection at 14 and Woodland Streets is in front of the Lipstick Lounge, which opened in 2003 is one of only 20 lesbian bars in the U.S.

Tennessee football’s James Pearce Jr. headlines a list of the top 25 returning players in college football for 2024 season.

The Tennessee Volunteers are entering an exciting 2024 season. They will have some new faces on both sides of the ball while also returning several key contributors from a season ago. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has garnered quite a bit of attention this offseason as he prepares to be the full-time starter, but edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is perhaps the most notable name amongst the group.

Pearce Jr. has been labeled as one of the top players in college football and as a potential first-overall pick for the 2025 NFL draft. He is the focal point of Tennessee’s defense and will play a huge factor in the Volunteers’ success this season. 247 sports released their list of top 25 returning players for the 2024 college football season, and Pearce Jr. came in at number one on the list. Here is what the outlet wrote about him:

“Pearce ranks in a tie for the fourth most sacks amongst returning players after he racked up 10 last season as the SEC’s top edge rusher. He is the early favorite to come off the board first at the 2025 NFL Draft.”

Last season, Pearce Jr. racked up 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 28 total tackles as a sophomore. Some outlets are claiming he is the best player in college football, and he is certainly one of, if not, the best edge defenders in the sport.

Brett Kollmann annually ranks hundreds of prospects for the NFL Draft cycle and has gotten an early start on his homework for next year’s class. He took to X on Tuesday afternoon to give Pearce an interesting NFL comparison. Aldon Smith.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Aldon Smith with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He made an All-Pro first-team during his second season in the NFL, tallying 19.5 sacks and becoming one of the league’s breakout stars. Off-field concerns derailed his career, but his playing heights were extremely high. Pearce was a consensus All-SEC first-team selection during his sophomore season and hopes to achieve even greater things next year.

If Pearce Jr. goes first overall, he would be the first Volunteer to do so since 1998 when quarterback Peyton Manning was the first name called. He has already joined an elite list of college football players, but he has the opportunity to do some very special things in 2024 and put him even higher up on those lists and deeper into Tennessee history books.

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