Priceless by Doug Schobel

Two of my best friends were going to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta and they were telling me I should head down to join them, but I didn’t have a game ticket or any arrangements. So I began the week thinking there was no chance I was going. They kept telling me that we’d find a ticket and that I could stay in their hotel room. By midweek, I was giving it serious consideration and I eventually said, “What the hell?” I had never been to a Super Bowl, and who knows when the opportunity would present itself again? So I decided to make the trek to Atlanta. My brother is an airline pilot and I was able to fly out of Providence on standby Thursday afternoon to Washington D.C., where I also was on standby. I eventually got the last seat on a flight to Atlanta and arrived Thursday night around 10 p.m. We had a great time over the next three days. The Patriots had a team house at Centennial Park where we were able to hang out, listen to live music, watch the Patriots pep rally, eat good food, imbibe on some adult beverages and have fun. I met former Patriots Lawyer Milloy, Stanley Morgan, Ben Coates and Chris Slade along with Chris Hogan and Josh McDaniels. I was able to get a single game ticket and a ticket to the Patriots pregame tailgate and postgame party at the team hotel. On game day, the stadium was filled with Patriots fans and the noise level was like being at Gillette Stadium. The Pats scored 10 straight points, including the game’s only touchdown after a beautiful pass from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski (his last ever catch as a Patriot), to turn a 3-3 tie into a 13-3 lead. The outcome hung in the balance until Stephon Gilmore’s interception at the Patriots 4-yard line with about four minutes left all but ended the Rams comeback hopes. The Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl, 13-3. I reconnected with my friends after the game and we went to the celebration. I still have the Patriots-labeled cigar and Super Bowl Championship hat they gave us as we entered the postgame party. The entertainment was awesome at both the pregame and potsgame events. LOCASH, Doug Flutie’s band (I’m a BC alum), Old Dominion, Snoop Dogg, The Chainsmokers, Meek Mill, Ludacris and Gucci Mane. I actually had to leave the party to get to the airport to fly out at 6:30 with no sleep. Well worth it. Watching the Patriots win their sixth Super Bowl was awesome. Celebrating that win with my best friends at the team’s postgame party… priceless!

 

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