He may have left the game — but he never stopped believing.
Lifelong Chiefs fan Charles Penn (also known by his new nickname, "Bad Luck Chuck") believed he had jinxed Kansas City into its poor start in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game against the Texans. Despite spending $258 on a ticket, Penn decided he needed to leave so his favorite team could get back on track.
Penn, a 31-year-old postal clerk from Missouri, tweeted a video of himself exiting Arrowhead Stadium in the first quarter as Kansas City trailed 21-0.
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— Big Buck Chuck (@cpenn4thewin) January 12, 2020
"I'm outta here so we can get the second-half comeback going," Penn tweeted. "I gotta leave, man. It's the only hope."
In his absence, Kansas City scored 42 unanswered points and went on to beat Houston by 20 points in one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history.
Needless to say, Penn's video went viral — it's now up to 1.3 million views on Twitter — and he became an instant hero as Chiefs fans celebrated his sacrifice.
During Patrick Mahomes' postgame press conference, the quarterback was asked if he had anything to say to Penn.
Mahomes doesn’t want to take any chances 💀 @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/YsQBKvKjcK
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 13, 2020
"Watch the next game at home," Mahomes laughed.
Mahomes later shared his appreciation for Penn on Twitter.
Appreciate you doing what was best for the Kingdom! 😂😂😂
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 13, 2020
Penn told the Kansas City Star he's attended each of the Chiefs' last three playoff losses, including last year's AFC championship game against the Patriots. He plans to heed Mahomes' words and watch Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Titans from home — and it looks like he'll be rewarded for his decision.
One of Mahomes' sponsors, Head & Shoulders, offered to give Penn the "ultimate" Chiefs watch party.
— Big Buck Chuck (@cpenn4thewin) January 13, 2020
Penn's newfound fame also has led the calls from the producers of “The Ellen Degeneres Show” and “Sunday NFL Countdown" asking to come on the shows. His Twitter following is up to 6,000 (and counting) from 1,300 prior to the game. And he told the Star that donations to his Venmo and Apple Cash accounts have doubled the price he paid for the ticket.
Penn's story proves that sometimes bad luck can turn into a bit of good luck.