Why was a drone flying over Falcons' Super Bowl practice in 2017?
The Atlanta Falcons faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51 in 2017 but something happened at their practice that was interesting. On the Friday before the game, security caught a person operating a drone over Atlanta's practice. Per the NFL's pool report, security officers "grounded" the drone. The drone was located near a "residential area" next to the campus of Rice University.
Longtime NFL reporter Peter King shared about the drone and how security took care of it.
King said:
"With the field situated next to a residential area abutting the Rice campus, there was extra security between the edge of the field (with a fence and high hedges) and the neighborhood, so the Falcons could feel secure running a practice as though they were at their home facility.
"There was only one brief security heads-up: Security officers grounded a drone that was sent airborne by one of the residents in the neighborhood on Thursday."
#DroneGate #SuperBowl Drone Grounded Near Where Atlanta Falcons Practiced For Super Bowl LI sporttechie.com/2017/02/05/spo…
The notion of a drone being above the Falcons' practice and potentially filming what Atlanta was doing prior to the Super Bowl would have been a major scandal for the NFL. There was no evidence of how long the drone hovered above the practice or the person flying the drone.
It was also unclear whether Atlanta was worried about the presence of the drone in relation to their preparation for Super Bowl 51. The game itself went down as one of the most memorable ones in Super Bowl history.
The Falcons and the infamous 28-3 in Super Bowl 51
Atlanta dominated the Patriots in the first half of the game, leading by a score of 21-3 at halftime. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Tevin Coleman with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, going up 28-3. That touchdown was the final time Atlanta scored in the game.
Tom Brady and the Patriots went on to score the final 31 points of the game, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime to win 34-31. It remains the biggest comeback of all time in a Super Bowl. Drone or not, it is a game that Atlanta won't soon forget.
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Also read: Reliving the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history