East L.A. female football player dreams of making NFL, gets to star in Super Bowl commercial

Watch interview with Toni Harris (courtesy CBS This Morning)

By Erik Brady
USA Today

Antoinette “Toni” Harris often tells people she’s going to be in the Super Bowl someday. Well, this year she’s going to be on it.

The sophomore football player at a California community college will star in Toyota’s ad for its 2019 RAV4 hybrid. The conceit is that the automobile and the free safety both defy expectations.

"I plan to be the first female NFL player,” she tells USA TODAY Sports. “Drafted or undrafted, as long as I get there, with God’s will.”

She’s already broken barriers as a position player at East Los Angeles College. That’s a real rarity, as women playing college football have typically been kickers.

Harris, 22, is currently considering four scholarship offers to continue her academic and football careers: Bethany College, Adams State University, Graceland University and Kentucky Christian University. She says she’s not leaning toward one yet as she has until July to sign a national letter of intent and she wants to discover which one offers the best blend of academics and playing time.

The Detroit native was getting ready for a game last fall when an email arrived with an offer to star in Toyota’s Super Bowl ad. She’s had to keep it a secret since, except for close family and few others. Sunday she’ll watch the game with her family as cameras capture her watching herself.

"They’ve said a lot of things about Toni Harris,” Jim Nantz says in the commercial’s voiceover. “They said she was too small. They said she was too slow, too weak.”

All the while, the video shows her as fast and strong.

"Yeah, people have made a lot of assumptions about Toni,” Nantz’ voiceover says.

Then Harris turns to the camera and says with a smile: “But I’ve never been a big fan of assumptions.”

The ad is scheduled to run in the first ad break of the second quarter.

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