A New England Patriots wide receiver turned heads Sunday with one of the most bizarre pregame arrivals in Super Bowl history, showing up to the biggest game of the year dressed like a maximum-security prisoner.
Mack Hollins, 32, walked barefoot into Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, hours before Super Bowl LX wearing a facemask resembling the one worn by fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter.
The veteran receiver also sported handcuffs around his wrists and shackles on his ankles.
The unconventional outfit included a red jumpsuit with “Range 13” printed on the back.
Hollins made his way through the stadium tunnel carrying Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s high school jersey as cameras captured the spectacle.
For those familiar with Hollins, the lack of footwear came as no shock. The receiver has developed a reputation for avoiding shoes whenever possible off the field.
What made the outfit particularly meaningful was its connection to the Patriots’ season-long theme. The getup appeared to reference the team’s “road warriors” identity that developed throughout their championship run.
The Patriots posted a perfect record away from home during the regular season. They continued their dominance on the road by defeating Denver in the AFC Championship game to reach the Super Bowl.
Head coach Mike Vrabel cultivated the road warrior mentality throughout the season using unconventional methods. The 50-year-old former New England linebacker initially showed his players clips of the Road Warriors, a professional wrestling tag team from the 1980s.
After exhausting his supply of wrestling footage, Vrabel shifted to scenes from “The Warriors,” a 1979 cult classic film about a street gang fighting to survive while traveling through hostile territory.
The movie’s themes of perseverance away from home resonated deeply with the squad.
Vrabel expressed surprise at how effectively the messaging stuck with his players.
“It’s amazing what sticks. I didn’t think at the time that it would have stuck, but here we are at the end of January, and it’s still sticking,” he told reporters last week.
The Patriots carried the road warrior concept all the way to Super Bowl Sunday. Despite receiving the home team designation for the neutral-site championship game, New England chose to wear their white road jerseys for the contest.
Hollins took the pregame warmups still honoring Vrabel, wearing the coach’s old high school Warriors jersey with the number 84.
True to form, he remained barefoot while loosening up on the turf.
Vrabel stood on the verge of making NFL history. A victory would have made him the first person ever to win a Super Bowl championship both as a player and as a head coach for the same franchise.
Hollins brings championship experience to the Patriots despite his unorthodox approach. He captured a Super Bowl title during his rookie campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
This marks far from the first instance of Hollins making waves with his pregame wardrobe selections. Last January, while playing for the Buffalo Bills, he arrived at a playoff matchup against the Baltimore Ravens dressed for the beach.
That memorable entrance featured Hollins wearing sunglasses, a straw hat, swimming shorts, and a floral shirt.
He completed the tropical look by carrying a beach towel and a Bills mini-football into the Orchard Park, New York stadium.
