>> welcome to news 4 this week. >> hi everyone welcome to a special super bowl edition of news 4 this week. we're going to take you out to arizona to give you a taste of the parties, culture and fun that fans are experiencing ahead of the big game. our own jim handily has been in the desert all week long to bring you amazing stories. what's up jim? >> reporter: hi. it's been a great week out here. we are just about 20 minutes away from glendale. and a d.c. family will be here to cheer on one of their own. he's a pariot who is making them proud. he's a star on the biggest football stage in the world but

before he put on a pariot's jersey tayvon was cutting teeth here at the boys and girls club. >> my baby i ran with him. >> his grandmother was always there hugging the sidelines for everyone to hear. >> why you making all that noise up in there? >> he could hear you in the stands? >> grandma, why you making all that noise? the coaches. >> she's definitely loud. she will probably be one of the loudest people on sunday. >> his grandma raised him. his father was shot to death when he was a baby. when he was 12 his mother drown. he started asking for equipment when he was just 4. >> my grandson could have been on the streets but he had me and my husband, his other grandparents. he had uncles you know that stayed behind him.

aunts. we stayed on him. >> his coach filled the role of father figure. >> he taught me a lot. not just about football but about being a man. >> his high school coach watches every patriots game and they text after each one. >> i appreciate everything you taught me as a football player and as a man. wow. >> it really touched me. it brought tears to my eyes. >> tayvon comes back to dc to give back. >> i want to make them proud and do everything i can to be a role model to younger kids where i'm from. those type of things does mean a lot to me. >> tayvon's grandmother has a ticket and you know she will be making noise. >> for sure. willson is a guy that local kids can look up to and local players may follow in his place.

check out this incredible one-handed catch. it was part of the team's big win. they defeated miami 26-6. >> they could have quit earlier but they didn't. they kept working hard and came back and, you know it is a great feeling. and they deserve it for the work that they did. >> i'm really excited. probably the best week of my life. >> all right, all right. besides taking home the trophy the team got to attend the pro bowl just last weekend. >> everything is on a giant scale at super bowl central from the big roman numerals to the multiple stages out there. this is the third time that phoenix is hosting the championship. all the action off the field is right there in the downtown area. >> reporter: while the rest of the country shivers, they're manufacturing ice here in the desert to give phoenix a chilly

feel. super bowl central is giving downtown a look it's never seen before and they're going be here. from over inflated footballs to branded skyscrapers, light rails ready to haul hundreds of thousands of visitors around barricaded streets surrounding what is known as block 23. and nothing says giant tailgate like countless port-a-potties. nfl and private contributors are spending well in excess of $80 million, hoping the region will see a half billion dollar economic return. all over the region residents are getting to the super bowl spirit. they are raising money for charity. this is human fooseball played with a soccer ball. feet and arms all getting a workout here for a good cause. >> no hands or spinning.

it's like indoor soccer but with a bar. >> and a kid sized ball. >> yes. >> doesn't deflate. >> doesn't deflate. >> these two came in from canada. they picked pro bowl for $250 a ticket because what is left for super bowl seats is way out of reach. >> what are the tickets going for? >> i don't know. a couple thousand. >> $1900 and that was in like nosebleed. >> it's all crazy. the crazy prices may not surprise you but houses in the phoenix area were renting out this week from 30,000 to $250,000. the most expensive rental included jet transportation and a personal chef. i do like that. something else that we see every super bowl counterfeit merchandise. in glendale they have been going after people trying to pass that stuff off as the real deal. sting operations for fake hats

jerseys souvenirs. >> this isn't a victimless crime. they are the companies having the products stolen. it could be the consumer who are buying inferior products that could cause health complications. >> more than 320,000 phoney items have been seized worth more than $19 million. those raids will continue eechb after the big game. >> it's the walk-out everybody is talking about. why one former nfl star is sympathizing with marshawn lynch. >> welcome to the house of whatever. are you up for it? we're going to party. coming up the story about others.

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hey! did you know bees communicate through dance? me too... we're practically twins! >> this could mean a walk out. seattle sea hawks running back marshawn lynch arrived today to cheers. last year he was fined $100,000

for violating policy. this year every player from both teams answered questions for a full hour. but lynch was having no part of it. >> i'm here to i won't get fined. >> as a former player i understand that. i have known enough players that are truly uncomfortable speaking in public. there really is no easy way out but it does seem to be making a little bit of a mockery of the system. >> lynch left media day before his full hour was up. he could face a fine for that. >> the super bowl gives advertisers a huge audience but companies know that they have a marketing gold mine in the host city. jim handily joins us now. how they're getting their message out. >> the signs are all around us. if you want to market a new brand, yourself a product, there is no bigger stage than right here in phoenix. this is a social media and marketer's dream. >> i got my game face on.

>> the rush on radio row. the celebrities being trotted around sports talk show hosts shouting to their audiences back home. >> get yourself some stuff today! >> everybody is hawking something. >> the biggest football game day of the year than pork rinds. >> the man whose shuffle put him in commercials is raising awareness. >> this is the mecca of the media as you can say. everybody comes in for the super bowl. >> welcome aboard the party yacht. the budweiser house of whatever 70,000 square feet of fun, 10,000 people had to audition just to get into this event. it is a marketer's dream. >> the house dropping from the sky, but it was a party yacht and about 13 truckloads of sand. >> this is the craziest experience of my lifetime.

>> by sunday night, this guy will be a household face. riley smith is a human pacman. >> a life size pacman video game. there are ghosts chasing me people screaming, cherries on the ground pellets and i'm running my butt off, sweaty but loving life. >> the house of whatever will push out 75,000 tweets from three parties this weekend. it's all about branding. the skyscrapers have all been transformed literally overnight. countless messages and websites are on everything hoping to reach a nationwide audience and who better than facebook to do that. they're watching trending super bowl this weekend. >> whether it's you or your friends watching the game you can see highlights from the nfl and nbc. you can see the tv commercials all in one place.

>> more than 50 million fans will be posting on facebook glued to the game. talk about your captive audience. >> jim, i know you will call me back. if they need somebody to report the weather, i'm there, buddy. >> they have got take on some of the biggest names in sports and hollywood. wounded warriors get to showcase their talent. >> we're above a ball court where they played a version of the super bowl in 450 a.d. they wore

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>> a huge amount of pride in arizona centers around native americans. indian reservations make up a quarter of the state. there is a heightened sensitivity about the red skins. jim broke bread with two women who were raised on reservations as they share their opinion on

washington football team. >> indian fry bread. cecelia miller was raised on this fry bread. her daughter now manages this restaurant. >> this is biscuit dough? >> correct. >> how long. >> 20 25 seconds. >> fixing fry bread is an art form. i tried my hand at it. >> you're just turning it around in the side. >> splashing? >> no. >> okay. >> perfect. it's about ready to flip. and turn it. >> mine's a little dark. >> it's okay. >> on the other side they are stretching and heating up paper thin traditional tortillas. >> we are agricultural people. we used what we could. >> at fry bread house, another tradition, a kind of hospitality passed down through the

generations. >> treat them like you would your own family. offer them something to eat. in indian country it's come in sit down. >> when it comes to the name washington red skins, the reaction is far less than friendly. >> it impacts our brothers and sisters. that is something that is meaningful for them. i don't like it. >> we kind of got used to that in the city but on the reservation, it is hurtful to them. >> the fry bread house is a winning culture experience. it was recently awarded the james beard award for american classics. >> patriotism and heroes ruled the field on wednesday. amputees took on nfl alumni. a steelers fan and big supporter of the troops took to the field. so did some nba and olympic athletes. a huge crowd was on hand to salute those who have

persevered. >> it is football between folks who may be missing a few parts and pieces against guys showing their support. >> what do you make of this? >> i think it's amazing. i am blown away. this is really awesome and i think that it's really cool that i'm on the wounded warrior amputee team and my husband is on the alumni team. >> i think et means a tremendous amount. they don't hear often enough how much we support them. it is incredibly awesome. >> that is great. diane, who you saw there doesn't have a ticket to the super bowl. she says she came just for that night and she plans on watching the big game on tv. >> d.c. is filled with fascinating history but when it comes to ancient history it's hard to compete with what jim came across in a desert valley of phoenix. >> civilization began back in 450 a.d. the american indians were the

first to inhabit what is today phoenix. walking the half mile of ruins, you learn a way of life that included sports team sports. >> they wore padding up on their arms and chair chest. we think it was somewhat similar to a type of soccer. >> we're standing on one of two ball courts where they played a game that drew villagers from around the region. >> this was their super bowl. the ball team would come over and play at this ball court and at the same time the people would be selling their wares or cotton. >> these are three of the original stone balls they used. >> they hit you in the head you're going to bleed. >> and you can't deflate those. >> no. >> overlooking it all is a platform the size of a football field where leaders lived and ruled. >> there would be music, chanting going on. from here the leaders could, of course keep their eye on all of

the people and make sure they were working and still growing the crops and digging. >> they built the largest system of canals in the new world. these are wooden stone tools they used to dig. >> you have to have water to live here in the desert. they knew that the water was important and they built the canals to transport the water to where they could grow additional crops. anybody that flies in for the super bowl will be flying over the remains of that canal. >> that's amazing. it's not the real grand canyon but it is a little close. when we come back jim tackles one of the more popular attractions at super bowl

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>> the run up to the super bowl isn't just about the game. there's a ton for everybody to do at super bowl central in phoenix and jim has been trying some of those activities. he joins us with one of his more memorable experiences. >> there is a ton to do down

here. a lot of people have been lining up to take on the grand canyon experience. a three story rock wall. i tried my hands and my feet at it. #fail. not a good look on me. wow. this is harder than it looks. okay. think i need longer arms. >> that's not going to happen guys. >> it's a lot tougher than it looks for me anyway. three stories up. i needed my arms to be as long as my legs. i tweeted out a picture of my ripped blue jeans. now take a look at how it's supposed to be done. chris made it look easy and fast. he cuts through the rock. he taps the top then repels down. check out how he's bouncing off these walls. #fearless. he has done this before. back to you from phoenix. >> that's all for our special

edition of news 4 this week. i'm veronica johnson. super bowl right here on sunday night. we leave you with a time lapse of super bowl central. until then be safe, be kind, be happy.

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breaking off the top, the inner loop of the beltway is closed in montgomery county because of crash successtivity. an accident. maryland state police said all lanes are closed between university boulevard and new hampshire avenue. >> the crash happened at 3:00 this morning and crews took all passengers to the hospital. no word on injuries. we are going find that out. angie mentioned the shut down will continue. >> other top stories right now, new video from the moment that controversial police shooting in northern virginia. police we have our hands on the 11,000 page report detailing why police shot and killed a father.