Sit 4 Mendoza

First touchdown. Everybody sits.

On Sunday, when Fernando Mendoza scores his first touchdown, don’t jump up. Sit down and cheer from your seat, the way his dad always does next to his mom.

Seahawks at Raiders.
Sunday, November 15, 1:05 p.m.
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.

The idea came from Raiders fan Tom Joanides.

When the stadium stands, his dad stays seated.

Fernando’s mom, Elsa Mendoza, has lived with multiple sclerosis for nearly two decades. She uses a wheelchair, and she gets to as many of her sons’ games as she can.

When the crowd jumps to its feet, her husband doesn’t. Fernando Sr. stays in his seat next to her. He did it through Indiana’s national championship run. He did it at home in Miami on the night the Raiders made their son the first pick in the draft.

Fernando has said his dad does it on purpose, to stay by his mom’s side.

On Sunday, 65,000 of us can do what he does. One touchdown, cheered from our seats, so nobody is sitting alone.

What to do on Sunday

  1. Watch number 15.

    That’s Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders’ rookie quarterback, making his first NFL start.

  2. The first touchdown he throws or runs in, sit down.

    Everyone around you will want to jump. Sit anyway.

  3. Cheer as loud as you like from your seat.

    Stand back up after the extra point.

If sitting down quickly is hard on your body, stay as you are and cheer. You’re in.

Some cities stand behind their quarterback. We sit for ours.

By “we,” we mean the whole building.

This isn’t a Raiders thing or a Las Vegas thing. It’s a football thing. A neighbor thing. A mom thing.

Seahawks fans, that means you too. You weren’t going to stand for a Raiders touchdown anyway. This once, sit on purpose.

Section
All
Row
All
Seat
Yours

The idea came from a Raiders fan named Tom Joanides.

This week, after the Raiders named Mendoza their starter, Tom posted it on X: everyone going to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday stays seated when Fernando scores his first touchdown.

It’s a fan idea. The Raiders didn’t ask for it. Tom ended his post with three words: “Pass it along.” This page is one neighbor doing that.

Read Tom’s post. He is @TJoanides on X.

The facts

  • Sunday is Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL start. The Raiders named him their starting quarterback this week, after trading Kirk Cousins to Minnesota. Raiders.com
  • He has played one regular-season drive, in Week 5 at New England: 6 of 8 passing for 48 yards, no touchdowns. He threw one in the preseason. The next one is the first that counts. CBS Sports, theScore
  • He won the 2025 Heisman Trophy and the national championship at Indiana. The Raiders took him first overall in the 2026 draft. Raiders.com
  • Elsa Mendoza played tennis at the University of Miami. She has lived with MS for nearly two decades and uses a wheelchair. She told the story herself in a letter to Fernando in The Players’ Tribune. Review-Journal, Yahoo Sports
  • Fernando Sr. stays seated beside her during games. Asked whether that’s on purpose, Fernando said it is “for sure a conscious effort.” Sports Illustrated
  • On draft night, at home in Miami, Fernando hugged his mom first. Sports Illustrated
  • Accepting the Heisman, he told her: “You’re my light, you’re my why.” Sports Illustrated
  • The Mendoza Family Fund, started with the National MS Society in April with $500,000 from Fernando, passed $1 million in October. Its goal is $1.25 million. National MS Society release, fund page

Sitting is free. If you want to do more, give.

The Mendoza family raises money for MS research, and for families living with MS, through the National MS Society.

Their fund is less than $200,000 short of its $1.25 million goal. Three dollars for each of Allegiant Stadium’s 65,000 seats would cover it.

Give to the Mendoza Family Fund

The button opens nationalmssociety.org/mendoza. This site doesn’t collect money. Orange is the color of MS awareness, and the only color on this page that isn’t silver or black.