Hess Customers Get Cooler Door Surprise

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — The New York Jets football team may be struggling with a 2-8 record on the field, but one player recently proved he still has a trick up his sleeve.

Nick Mangold, who plays center for the National Football League team, partnered with PepsiCo Inc. to surprise customers at a Hess Express store in Woodbridge. Dressed in his uniform and full pads, he hid in the convenience store's cooler and screamed at the customers to call a play.

"I've always tried to find humor in everything, no matter what it is," Mangold told the New York Daily News. "If you take yourself too seriously, it becomes more of a struggle than enjoying life. I've always enjoyed having a good joke. I've had pranks pulled on me and after I get over the initial anger, I find the humor in them."

According to the newspaper, Mangold previously teamed up with Pepsi for a Grammy's commercial meant to hype the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Mangold said he was hesitant when he learned he had to strap his hands across the chest of Hall of Fame tight-end Shannon Sharpe, who previously played with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens, while riding in back of him on the same motorcycle.

"The pitch was, we need you to ride on this motorcycle with Shannon Sharpe and I was like, 'Uh I don't think so.' But when I thought about it, I found the humor in it and it worked out well," Mangold said. "We were flying back from Hawaii and a flight attendant came over to me and my wife and kid and goes, 'Aren't you the guy from that Pepsi commercial?' My wife [says], good, you've played in the NFL for nine years and now all you're known for is a Pepsi commercial."

The Woodbridge Hess Express store is about 25 miles from MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets.

To watch a video of Mangold in action in the Pepsi Snap Fridge, click here.