State Police had to deliver forgotten K-balls for Patriots-Chiefs

Here’s a story the NFL probably didn’t want getting out: last Saturday, game officials forgot the bag of kicking balls and air-pressure gauges for the New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game at their hotel, and Massachusetts State Police had to deliver them to Gillette Stadium. They arrived just an hour before the 4:35 p.m. EST kickoff.

(Getty Images) Second-year referee Craig Wrolstad was the lead official for the game.

The story began with a tweet from Patriots’ radio announcer Scott Zolak after New England’s 27-20 win, but State Police have since confirmed the events.

The kicking balls, called K-balls, are provided by the league and used for kicking plays.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss got the details from Mass State Police spokesman David Procopio.

“At approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Massachusetts State police at Logan Airport were notified by the Hyatt Hotel on airport property that the officials at Gillette Stadium for that afternoon’s Patriots’ playoff game had left official, specially designated footballs and pressure gauges behind at the hotel,” Procopio said. “The hotel had been contacted by the NFL after it realized the equipment had been left behind.

“State Police contacted an NFL security official at Gillette Stadium. NFL security requested State Police assistance in bringing the footballs and gauges to the stadium… A hotel employee retrieved the equipment. State Police Detective Lieutenant Thomas Coffey, who was on duty at Troop F that afternoon, along with the hotel employee, drove the K-balls and gauges to Gillette Stadium, arriving at approximately 3:30 p.m., and turned them over to the NFL.”

It’s ironic, of course, that the ball mishap would have happened for a Patriots’ playoff game; the game against the Chiefs came nearly a year to the day after the AFC Championship at Gillette Stadium, the day the Indianapolis Colts touched off l’affiare deflate-gate when they told league officials that a ball intercepted by D’Qwell Jackson in the first half felt under-inflated.

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