A corgi race was supposed to be the halftime entertainment at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. Instead, one of the dogs turned the Panthers’ Week 9 matchup with the Broncos into a full-on chase scene just before the second half.
The loose corgi slipped away and kept four people busy before they finally wrangled it near the 40-yard line. On the RedZone call, Scott Hanson tracked the whole thing in real time: "A corgi is loose," Hanson said.
"And the handlers can’t handle him. The second half is supposed to be kicking off.
They can’t get him at the 40. They can’t get him at the 45.
They can’t get him at midfield. The corgi is loose.
He’s checking to his left, checking to his right. He’s looking at himself on the big video board.
And finally, they tackle him until about a 100-yard gain."
A young fan at the game may not remember much about the Panthers hosting the Denver Broncos, or even their first hot dog. But they’ll probably remember the moment the corgi broke free and stole the show.
The dog covered plenty of ground in the process, and the scene had the feel of a scramble drill nobody planned for. One corgi from the Panthers’ race went rogue, and the effort to bring him down drew plenty of attention.
Maybe somebody should put a stopwatch on that kind of speed next time. He had some burst, even if he wasn’t quite ready to challenge Disney’s "Air Bud." More like a "Golden Receiver."
For kids, it was the kind of goofy stadium moment that sticks. Adults could enjoy it too, though plenty of parents probably watched with one eye on the dog and the other on the calendar, knowing exactly who ends up doing the work when a pet decides to make a run for it.
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