Vegas myth busted: Kansas City Chiefs flag buried beneath Allegiant Stadium
On December 29, 2017, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published an article stating: “A man buried a Kansas City Chiefs ball near the projected 30-yard line of the new Raiders stadium being built on the Las Vegas Strip. Team flag." "
Chris Scherzer, a construction worker and die-hard Chiefs fan, posted a photo on Facebook of a co-worker holding a flag that read: "Chiefs Kingdom." The headline read: "Flags buried in dirt, encased in concrete, stadiums built on... Chiefs 1, Raiders 0."
Scherzer has long concealed the identity of the man he photographed, claiming "people tried to get him fired because of it."
The man allegedly planted the flag to bring bad luck to the Raiders, whose rivalry with the Chiefs dates back to the AFL and is one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL dating back to Their first meeting of the 1970 season.
In that game, Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor attacked Raiders defensive end Ben Davidson after he hit Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson with his helmet on a first down, knocking Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson to the ground.
A fight broke out.
Since the Raiders' new home stadium opened on July 31, 2020, superstitious members of Raider Nation have blamed the Raiders for all four of their team's home games lost to the Chiefs, a period in which the Raiders were Kansas City's record is 2-2.
When the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium, concerns about burying the flag reached new heights — especially among 49ers fans. Even USA Today published an article on January 29 repeating the story.
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On January 30, the myth was finally debunked by KLAS-TV/Las Vegas.
It turns out the construction worker, whose name was Gerard DeCosta, lied when he and his friends claimed they were going to bury the flag he was holding in the photo.
Tommy White, a local union leader overseeing construction of the stadium, told KLAS he has known about the scam for years. Former Raiders president Marc Badain reached out to DeCosta when he called him and wanted to know if the Facebook post was true.
White said DeCosta admitted to the prank and gave him the flag to prove his story.
"He just told me the whole story," White told Klass, posing with the flag. "This was his flag. It was never buried."
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Source: www.casino.org
