Chiefs had an odd Plan B if equipment couldn’t be found in time for Patriots game
The Chiefs nearly made NFL history on Sunday, but it wasn’t the kind the team or their fans would have wanted.
At some point on Sunday, the Chiefs realized they didn’t have all of their equipment, and if they didn’t have it by kickoff for their game against the Patriots at 3:25 p.m., Kansas City would have been forced to forfeit the game.
The NFL is celebrating its 100th season this year, and no team has ever had to forfeit a game in the league’s history.
When news of the equipment problem first surfaced on Sunday, many in Kansas City blamed the Patriots, and memes of New England coach Bill Belichick as a baggage handler were shared on Twitter.
But as Tracy Wolfson noted during the CBS broadcast of Sunday’s game, the Chiefs couldn’t unload equipment until 8 a.m. on Sunday because a high school football game was played Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
On Sunday morning, the Chiefs equipment managers unloaded the plane and went to Gillette Stadium. Once there, they realized a crate with 35 bags had been left on the plane, which by that time was in Newark, New Jersey. They were able to get it and equipment by 2:30 p.m., so the crisis was averted.
But while waiting for the plane’s return, the Chiefs were working on a Plan B.
According to the MetroWest Daily News, someone from the Riddell company called Masconomet Regional High School athletic director John Daileanes with a strange request.
“He told me, ‘I really don’t have too much time to talk,” Daileanes told the Daily News. “’But a bunch of the Kansas City Chiefs helmets and shoulder pads and other equipment are in Newark, New Jersey right now. There’s a big snafu. I need to get down to Masco, and if it’s possible could we use your helmets for the game?’”
The high school is located in Boxford, Massachusetts, about 75 minutes northeast of Gillette Stadium.
The Riddell employee received a state police escort to the high school, the newspaper reported, and a custodian showed the way to the Masconomet football equipment. Then it was off to Gillette Stadium.
Why was that high school chosen? Take a look at their helmets:
The Chiefs didn’t need the high school equipment as the plane made it back from New Jersey in time. The Massachusetts State Police even helped the Chiefs:
That was a bit of a relief to Daileanes since the Chiefs ended up winning 23-16.
“I’m a diehard Boston sports fan. I would not have wanted to be responsible for a loss,” Daileanes told the Daily News. “I probably would have had to change my identity.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 9:27 AM.
