Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan recently disclosed that the team chose to keep Andy Reid’s frightening shooting incident under wraps for 15 months, believing it was the best course of action.
A bombshell report revealed on Wednesday night that Reid’s office at the team’s practice facility was shot at in May 2024.
The Kansas City Star reported the bullet smashed through the glass window and hit a wall just 15 feet from where 66-year-old Reid was sat that night.
The incident, which fortunately resulted in no injuries, occurred shortly after midnight on May 4, 2024. It took place at the Chiefs’ practice facility, located next to Arrowhead Stadium, which also includes the corporate offices.
No arrests or charges have been made and the shooting is still under investigation as an aggravated assault.
According to police, there is no evidence indicating that Reid, the head coach of three Super Bowl-winning teams, was intentionally targeted, but his office has since been equipped with bulletproof glass.
Andy Reid’s office at the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice facility was shot at in May 2024
Chiefs president Mark Donovan says keeping it quiet for 15 months was ‘the right path to take’
The revelation caught NFL media off guard on Wednesday night, and it appears that even some staff members at the facility were unaware of the event until it became public.
During the Chiefs’ annual kickoff luncheon in Kansas City on Thursday, Donovan emphasized that keeping the incident quiet was ‘the right path to take’ based on consultations with police, communications, and safety experts.
He explained: ‘We then reviewed the situation, assessed what had transpired, and determined the subsequent steps from PR and communication standpoints. We made our decisions and proceeded accordingly.’
‘When this happened, we sat down and went through the same system, same process, and got to the point of saying, “OK, here’s where we are”.
‘And he (Reid) was completely on board with our process and what we were doing and how we were doing it.
‘Our focus and priority is keeping our staff, our fans and everybody involved with our organization safe.’
The Kansas City Star’s report revealed Reid was working alone in his office at the time when a bullet shot from outside went through the glass and the blinds in his office.
It lodged into a wall between the door to his office and his personal bathroom, just 15 feet from Reid’s desk.
The bullet smashed through the glass window and struck a wall just 15 feet from Reid
Two other bullets struck the facility. One hit the third floor, just above Reid’s office, and the other hit an exterior air conditioning unit.
Kansas City Police Department spokesperson Capt. Jacob Becchina told the Kansas City Star: ‘There is no indication this was a targeted incident at any person or organization.
‘Because the building was occupied at the time of the bullet coming through the window, the case is being investigated as an aggravated assault.’
Becchina added that the officers who attended the scene spoke with the overnight security, who said they ‘heard a noise and observed what appeared to be a bullet hole in a window.’
Three months before the shooting, Reid led the Chiefs to a third Super Bowl crown in five years and was preparing for their attempt at a historic three-peat.
They ultimately fell short in their quest in February when the Chiefs were blown away 40-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
The Chiefs’ dominance in recent years has seen a level of resentment towards them grow across other fan bases, with the NFL itself and referees often accused of being biased towards Kansas City.
Three months before the shooting, Reid led the Chiefs to a third Super Bowl crown in five years
Couple that with Taylor Swift’s headline-grabbing romance with tight end Travis Kelce and the Chiefs have more eyeballs on them than any other franchise.
They have also just been the subject of a behind-the-scenes ESPN documentary, which included footage of Reid arriving for work in the middle of the night.
It is not unusual for him to still be there late in the evening, too. His office is on the second floor of the three-story facility and overlooks the practice fields.
There are security guards at the facility 24 hours a day and the team has reportedly increased the amount of fencing around the exterior perimeter with cameras also monitoring every inch.
