Nov 15, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; The NFL Logo on goal post padding during the game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Detroit won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The kicking footballs for last Saturday’s AFC playoff contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots were initially forgotten at a Boston hotel and had to be escorted by police to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, according to published reports.
The air-pressure gauges used to properly measure the inflation were also left behind.
When game officials released the mistake, the NFL contacted the Hyatt Hotel at Logan Airport. The hotel got in touch with the Massachusetts State police and Detective Lieutenant Thomas Coffey drove the balls to the stadium, along with a hotel employee.
“NFL security requested State Police assistance in bringing the footballs and gauges to the stadium,” Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said. “The footballs in question are referred to as K-balls, short for kicking balls. They are the official footballs provided by the league for use in kicking plays.”
The footballs arrived at the stadium approximately one hour before kickoff.
The incident occurred nearly one year to the day after the infamous “DeflateGate” episode in which the Patriots were accused of tampering with the inflation level of footballs prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots were fined $1 million and quarterback Tom Brady drew a four-game suspension that was later overturned by a judge.
