The greatest quarterback of all time produced the biggest post-season comeback of all time as the New England Patriots won the most compelling Super Bowl of all time in Houston.
It took what will soon be considered one of the sport's most iconic catches from Julian Edelman and a metric shit-ton of bottle for the Pats to get the job done.
But as Patriots owner Robert Kraft was busy firing not-so-subtle barbs at the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, renowned Patriots fan Mark Wahlberg - whose forlorn expressions the cameras had cut to on umpteen occasions while the Pats trailed heavily - was nowhere to be seen.
Reason being, he had sneaked out of the building long before Tom Brady and co. had made history...
Mark Wahlberg leaving #sb51 @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/uxzG6MF4YI
— Allen Reid (@Allen_Reid) February 6, 2017
Wahlberg's early exit, believed to have occurred with the Patriots down 28-12 in the fourth quarter, drove NFL fans on Twitter absolutely berserk - initially because the Patriots were getting hammered, and later due to his missing the Pats make one of the world's great sporting comebacks seemingly just so he could beat the traffic.
The Patriots Day actor isn't everybody's cuppa tea, and got absolute dog's abuse from Twitter's Joe Soap who was truly revelling in his misery.
Mark Wahlberg frantically trying to get Tom Hardy on the phone to get him cast as Julian Edelman.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) February 6, 2017
Mark Wahlberg gonna make a movie about this tragedy.
— Vince Williams (@VinnyVidiVici98) February 6, 2017
Mark Wahlberg didn't want to see the Patriots get blown out in Super Bowl LI so he left early. Oops?https://t.co/UwsCOcrCPr pic.twitter.com/6qg9scyezs
— NESN (@NESN) February 6, 2017
Mark Wahlberg left the #SuperBowl early — and missed the historic ending. https://t.co/ENo6JtjCbG #Patriots #Falcons pic.twitter.com/9PW9XPtOCL
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 6, 2017
Mark Wahlberg getting back to his private jet just in time to turn the radio on and hear the Pats comeback. #StarsJustLikeUs
— David McCoy (@mccoympls) February 6, 2017
MARK WAHLBERG LEFT THE GAME.
God this night is perfect.— welcome to dot (@WelcomeToDot) February 6, 2017
Never forget, New England. @Mark_Wahlberg left the #SB51 & we won the game. (via @Allen_Reid) pic.twitter.com/eXInXHWbTI
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) February 6, 2017
That was INCREDIBLE. And Mark Wahlberg left the game early!!! 😂
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 6, 2017
However, the 45-year-old from Dorchester later posted a photo on Instagram of he and his family next to the field in Houston, explaining that he had been forced to prematurely flee the scene of the Patriots' greatest day due to his son feeling unwell.
Family first, and all that...
Of course, it remains unclear just how sick his son was. Could he not have stuck it out for 20 minutes or so to witness the remarkable comeback that was?
Or, in a more sinister twist, was he just being used as a scapegoat by a father who had seen enough, and will live with the regret until his dying day?
It's bound to make for a decent yarn on the talkshow circuit in the coming months, when Wahlberg will somewhat ironically be promoting his new film Patriots Day. Easy work for Graham Norton and friends.
