Former President George HW Bush Performs Coin Toss at Super Bowl LI Alongside Wife Barbara
— -- Just days after he was released from the hospital, former President George H.W. Bush was loudly cheered as he performed the coin toss at Super Bowl LI in Houston.
America's 41st president was pushed onto the field at NRG Stadium by a member of the U.S. Navy, while his wife, Barbara Bush, was driven in a golf cart.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn cheered for the former president from the field, while Vice President Mike Pence applauded from the stands.
The crowd roared as Bush flipped the coin, which landed on tails. The Atlanta Falcons decided to defer the choice to the second half and started the game on offense.
The former president, who was hospitalized last month with a respiratory issue stemming from pneumonia, was discharged from a Houston hospital on Jan. 30 after a 16-day stay. Barbara Bush was also been admitted, with bronchitis. The two live in Houston.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press conference Wednesday that the couple was "excited" and "anxious" to be at the Super Bowl to perform the toss.
Bush wrote on Twitter that he was getting "fired up" for the game. He accompanied the tweet with a video of a coin spinning on his desk.
