As part of the CFL ON TSN's Thanksgiving Day pre-game show, the network highlighted an inspirational story that's touched the hearts of many around the league. "Jack & Brian" is a TSN Original Feature that tells the tale of the friendship forged through football between Saskatchewan Roughriders Brian Peters and a young boy from Chicago named Jack Marshall.

Fronted by Brian Williams and directed by Ross Rheaume, the feature aired yesterday afternoon in the lead-up to the Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes.

Rheaume provided this description of the making of the feature:

There are several pretty amazing moments in the Jack Marshall and Brian Peters story, moments that make you pause and ask, "Can this really be true?" A boy who was told he'd never walk again, inspired by a football player to prove everyone wrong. When he beats the odds and attends the last football game of the season, that player makes the game-saving fumble recovery. 

It might seem unbelievable, but what I've found in shooting this feature over the last couple months, however, is that the closer you get to their story, the more you begin to think, "That's just typical Jack and Brian."

When I read the 2011 article on Jack and Brian by Lake The Posts, and watched the subsequent Big Ten Network feature online, I was inspired to find out more. My main question was, "What's their relationship like now, three years later?"

From the moment I got on the phone with Jack's mother, Joanna, it was clear nothing had changed. "BP", as he's referred to by the Marshall family, flew down to Jack's school and surprised all the kids after he won the Grey Cup last year. He went to Jack's birthday party as well. I had to be ready to get off the phone at any minute because BP might be calling in from Regina to ask about Jack's baseball game. Or maybe to chat about Jack's ongoing rehab. Or maybe just to chat about guy stuff.

They're still best buds.

When the Riders caught wind of the story and wanted to help surprise Jack with a jersey and tickets to a game, our feature cameras were given a unique opportunity – to be there in-the-moment as a new chapter of Jack and Brian's story was written. Normally, we recount stories that have happened in the past, but this time, we were going to experience this great friendship in real time.

The rest is right there in the feature: Jack surprised Brian on the field before the game and got his wish to cheer his hero alongside Rider Nation. A Chicago kid living out his dream in Regina. 

Great story, right? We were in for something more.

In overtime, the Riders needed a big play to prevent a game-tying field goal. As the kick went up, a hand reached above the fray and blocked it. The Riders won, the stadium erupted, and Jack and his parents went wild. Amid the sea of euphoria on the sideline, Brian Peters emerged, pointed up to Jack in the stands, and waved him and his family down to the sideline. As Jack got to the rail, Brian handed him his game-worn gloves and said, "I blocked it."

Typical Jack and Brian. 

Check out the video above to watch the TSN Original Feature "Jack & Brian."