- NFL. Travis Kelce could 'challenge' NFL for Taylor Swift by skipping one of its most talked about rules
- NFL. Simone Biles will be honored at NFL games with a special tribute featuring her iconic final pose
Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones is making headlines off the field with an unusual offer-he's ready to shell out $1.5 million to free an Illinois school worker convicted of stealing, of all things, chicken wings. Vera Lidell, once the Director of Food Services for Harvey School District in Dolton, Illinois, is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for her role in a massive food theft operation that has shocked the internet.
Lidell, 68, masterminded a scheme that saw her allegedly swipe a staggering $1.5 million worth of food-mostly chicken wings-over a two-year period. The audacious plot involved Lidell placing separate orders for the wings through the district's food provider, Gordon Food Service, under the guise of normal school operations. All this went down between July 2020 and February 2022, when the schools were closed due to the pandemic, yet the food orders continued to flow.
An audit eventually uncovered the discrepancy, revealing the district was hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget just halfway through the year. The shocking discovery led to Lidell's arrest on multiple charges, including forgery, felony theft, and running a financial crime enterprise. The bizarre nature of the crime has since gone viral, leaving many asking, "How do you steal $1.5 million in chicken wings?"
Enter Chris Jones. The Chiefs defensive end, known for his big plays on the field, is now making big moves off it. Jones, who recently secured a massive $158 million contract extension, has reportedly offered to pay the $1.5 million Lidell stole, hoping it might reduce or even eliminate her prison sentence. "I'll pay for the wings that she stole to get her free," Jones declared, turning an already wild story into an internet sensation.
Chris Jones' $1.5 million gamble: Will it save the convicted chicken wing thief?
While the legal system might not work the way Jones hopes, his offer has certainly added another layer of intrigue to an already bizarre case. Whether his gesture will have any real impact on Lidell's fate remains to be seen, but it's clear that this chicken wing caper is far from over.
The internet has already gone wild over the prospect of an NFL star paying off a massive food theft, with some hailing Jones as a hero and others questioning the legal implications. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain-Chris Jones' attempt to wing it in court could turn this quirky crime story into a full-blown saga.
So, will Jones' $1.5 million save Lidell from her nine-year sentence? Or is this just another case of too little, too late? One thing's for sure: this chicken wing drama isn't going away anytime soon. Stay tuned, because this story is still cooking.