Kansas City Chiefs Get Gear Back After It Was Accidentally Sent to New Jersey

Had it not been returned by kickoff on Sunday, the team would have had to forfeit

A view of the Kansas City Chiefs equipment case during warmups. A large portion of the team's equipment had been sent to New Jersey instead of Massachusetts prior to the start of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
A view of the Kansas City Chiefs equipment case during warmups. A large portion of the team's equipment had been sent to New Jersey instead of Massachusetts prior to the start of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Getty Images

According to a team spokesman, a Kansas City Chiefs equipment container that was mistakenly sent to Newark, New Jersey has been returned to the team in time for their 4:30 p.m. EST kickoff against the New England Patriots on Sunday (Dec. 8).

According to ESPN, the container, which held the bags of roughly 35 players and included shoulder pads, helmets and footballs, was not unloaded Saturday like it was supposed to and instead wound up in Newark before being rushed back to Boston in time for the game.

If the team had been unable to get the gear back in time for the start of the game, they would have had to forfeit. ESPN reports that the blame for the mishap lies with Kansas City, who did not take the equipment off the plane, rather than New England or the NFL.

“I never heard that before,” one source told the publication. Meanwhile, many took to social media to poke fun at the misplaced gear, with one joking that the Chiefs’ new equipment manager must be “Will Willicheck.”

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