This story obviously isn’t Pittsburgh Steelers-related but it’s one of the wildest of the offseason. Kansas City Chiefs’ “superfan” Xaviar Babudar, better known as ChiefsAholic, was arrested Monday after eluding police for months. He’s alleged to have robbed several banks, making way with hundreds of thousands of dollars, in order to buy front row seats to Chiefs’ games.
Yahoo writer Ryan Wilson lays out the details.
“The FBI has linked him to at least six other either unsolved or attempted bank or credit union robberies over a nine-month span last year in Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Officials believe Babudar stole more than $800,000.”
Babudar was famous for showing up to Chiefs games wearing a Wolves costume. At the time, it seemed to play into his persona but in reality, it was likely to help conceal his identity from the authorities. He has been wanted by police since late March after missing a court appearance. He was initially arrested last December in connection to one robbery but was released on bond. It’s safe to say that won’t happen this time around.
Allegations against him also include gambling a large chunk of money from the robberies, in part to launder and “clean” the stolen money. He made a bet on the Chiefs that had a potential payout of $100,000 if the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII and if QB Patrick Mahomes was named the game’s MVP. Both events occurred and presumably, Babudar was paid.
His lore has been popular on the Internet for months. He was even featured in the Los Angeles Chargers’ schedule release, being chased by Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk, who frequently discussed him on The Pat McAfee Show.
The Steelers aren’t slated to play the Chiefs in the regular season, though a playoff matchup is possible assuming Kansas City will be a high seed with Pittsburgh potentially grabbing a final Wild Card spot. The two met in the 2021 Wild Card round, Ben Roethlisberger’s final game, with the Chiefs winning 42-21.
