A hilarious story, which involved his trips to the bathroom while Super Bowl LV was afoot, has come to light, courtesy of Buccaneers’ nose tackle Vita Vea. It quite literally adds a whole new meaning to the phrase “winning dirty.” During his recent appearance on the “Green Light” podcast, Vea rewound the clock, revealing that his celebration was far from glamorous.
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While his teammates were basking in victory, Vea was battling a different kind of opponent: food poisoning. The story goes back to Vea’s ankle injury in the early 2020 season, which cut his regular season short. Veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh took the young player under his wing, encouraging him to build a habit of clean eating to speed up the recovery process.
The Buccaneers also wanted Vea back before the playoffs, and Suh’s healthy lifestyle advice seemed to be working wonders. But on the eve of facing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Vea made a choice he shouldn’t have and woke up on game day with food poisoning.
While on the field, he literally felt the pain and was close to having an embarrassing moment while chasing the Chiefs’ quarterback. However, he narrowly avoided that scenario and sprinted to the bathroom mid-game.
“I remember I was chasing Patrick Mahomes and he kind of hit me with the Elway roll. And I went to go cut with him, to like, run with him and right when I landed on my foot, i took a step and I was like ‘If I push off, something’s come out,’ and I just stopped. I literally ran straight off the field and said ‘I gotta go to the bathroom.’”
Moreover, the most hilarious part of his story was when he revealed that while his teammates celebrated with the Lombardi Trophy in the locker room, Vea was enjoying his victory cigar on the toilet. Who knew a healthy diet could lead to such crappy timing?
Vita Vea Followed His Diet Passionately Up Until ‘Super Bowl Day’
Vea’s role in the Buccaneers’ 2020-21 championship run was undeniably crucial. Fans praised his defensive prowess in both the run game and pass rush. Little did they know that while Vea was helping the Bucs hoist the Lombardi Trophy, he was also fighting an internal battle with his stomach.
Following Ndamukong Suh’s advice, Vea had been following a strict diet with a personal chef preparing tailored meals. But it was months later that his temptation struck at the team hotel — the day before facing Kansas City. The sight of the lavish buffet spread had Vea’s mind racing.
“I was weighing my options. I was like, ‘Damn! This food looks pretty gas’ and I was like, ‘Should I eat this or salad or something? I’m going to have a couple of bites for this food they got for us. And I think it kind of hurt me in the long run.”
The decision became even tougher when the Sous Chef brought Vea his usual salad. Caught between sticking to his diet and indulging in a cheat day, Vea opted for a taste of the hotel fare. That small indulgence quickly spiraled from a break in his healthy routine to full-blown food poisoning the next day.
Luckily for Vea, the Buccaneers dominated the Chiefs in a 31-9 blowout win. Had the game gone differently, one can only imagine the reactions from his chef and Suh to Vea’s ill-timed cheat day.
