Bold Moves Are the Best Moves

We surprised our son two years ago with a trip to SoFi Stadium for the Chiefs vs. Chargers game. The stadium was amazing, and the game ended up being a nailbiter. The Chiefs pulled off a win in magical Mahomes’ fashion by coming from behind 23 – 27 and scoring with only 31 seconds remaining to win 30 – 27.

While the game was one of the most exciting Chiefs’ wins (before this season, of course,) and touring the stadium was a vacation itself, the most memorable part of the trip was posing for an unsuspecting picture with a bank robber. In fact, a bank robber that is now spending 17 ½ years in prison for 11 armed robberies and stealing over $800,000.

If you live in Kansas City or follow the Chiefs, you probably know the robber I’m referring to is known as “Chiefsaholic.” We never heard of “Chiefsaholic” before that game, but apparently, he was well-known in the Chiefs’ Superfan community. When he sat behind us before kick-off, we thought he was just another KC fan in a funny wolf costume amid a section of bitter Chargers fans.

He removed his mask before the game, so we started up a conversation. Assuming he was also from KC, we told him where we lived. He quickly said he wasn’t from KC, but St. Louis. Having lived in the Lou for 5 years, I was ready to make a connection. In typical St. Lousian fashion I had to ask, “Where’d you go to high school?” He hesitated for a moment, then said it was outside St. Louis. I told him I worked all over the surrounding area and had even been a brief Rams fan, but he wasn’t interested in small talk. He was polite though and offered to pose for a pic with us.

We were getting last-minute concessions and asked if we could get him anything. He thanked us but said he was just having water. After paying $23 per beer, we figured he probably couldn’t afford it in addition to the ticket and travel, so we offered again. Again, “No, thank you.” We exchanged a few high-fives throughout the game, but that was the last time we saw “Chiefsaholic.”

A few weeks later, our son was scrolling the internet and told us a bank robber had just been caught, and he looked like the guy we met at SoFi. In shock, we started our own search down the rabbit hole and confirmed it was the same “Chiefsaholic.” We never would have suspected the polite, avid Chiefs fan would have committed the crimes he was convicted of two years later.

If you’re looking for something to watch during the impending blizzard, “Chiefsaholic: A Wolf in Chiefs’ Clothing,” is a fascinating 2-hour documentary on Prime. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t watched it yet, but it’s a lesson in never knowing what people are really hiding behind their masks.