Super Bowl games are known for intense and nail-biting moments, right? Wrong! Despite their nerve-wracking moments, sometimes they can also bring humorous moments on the field. This is exactly what happened on February 7, 2021, at Super Bowl LV.

Vita Vea recently joined his former Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ teammate Beau Allen on the Green Light with Chris Long show on July 15. While reminiscing about their time together on the gridiron and with the team, Tom Brady’s former teammate revealed a funny incident from their Super Bowl LV moment.

He recounted eating something that caused food poisoning. The next day, during the Super Bowl game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Vea felt the effects while chasing Patrick Mahomes. Explaining the unexpected and funny incident, Vea expressed, “I remember I was chasing Patrick Mahomes and he kind of hit me with like the LA roll.” 

Vea further continued, “And I went to cut with him to like run with him and right when I planted my foot, I took a step and I was like if I turn, if I push off, something’s coming out. So I just stopped.” And thus, he ran straight off the field to the bathroom in the middle of the game. Hilarious, isn’t it?

However, Brady’s Buccaneers won the Super Bowl LV over Mahomes’ Chiefs, 31-9, at Raymond James Stadium in Florida in 2021. But that incident will forever be etched in the heart of Vea, and now in the minds of NFL fans as one of the funniest moments of the league. But many still wonder if it’s okay to use the restroom when the game is on?

What’s the NFL bathroom rules?

Remember Lamar Jackson’s “poop-gate” incident of 2020? Although many believed that he went to use the bathroom in the middle of the game, Jackson himself clarified that he was out due to a calf cramp, and not a bathroom emergency. However, due to that incident many pondered over the actual rules of using the bathroom in such circumstances. Similarly, now after Vita Vea revealed his situation while facing Patrick Mahomes, this question has again popped up in most of the minds: What do NFL players do when they need to use the restroom? While Formula 1 drivers and soccer players have admitted to unconventional tactics like urinating in suits or darting off the field, the NFL presents its own set of logistical hurdles.

With games often lasting for hours and players constantly hydrating, the urge to go can be unavoidable. Yet, NFL players rarely leave the field mid-game for bathroom breaks. Instead, they resort to “discrete methods like using cups, towels, or even their pants.” Former players like Channing Crowder and Ryan Kalil have openly discussed these practices, highlighting the lengths players go to avoid disrupting play. Crowder in an interview with ESPN once said, “I would just be in the huddle, just pee, like you wouldn’t even … nobody in the stands would know unless you looked down like ‘That … That’s not water, man!”

This unspoken aspect of the game adds a layer of behind-the-scenes reality to the spectacle of NFL games, and it clearly tells – it’s not easy to be on the gridiron!

(The story is developing. Stay tuned for more…)