A diehard Detroit Lions fan was certain his team was going to be good this year and proved it by getting a tattoo with the team logo in front of the Vince Lombardi trophy and the words “Super Bowl Champs 2024.”
Alex Chepeska got the permanent artwork in August, a week before the first preseason games and months before the Lions would even clinch a playoff spot, let alone win the NFC North.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” Chepeska told CBS News Detroit about the Lions winning their first-ever Super Bowl.
“I knew they were doing it, it’s happening” Chepeska told the outlet on the reasoning behind the tattoo.
Following years of hardship, the super fan said he saw potential with his team during the 2022 season after then-new head coach Dan Campbell got the team to finish with a winning record for the first time in years.
“Last year, halfway through the season I think, I kind of fell in love with Dan Campbell and the whole organization which he has turned it into, after a lifetime of heartbreak,” Chepeska told ABC 7 Detroit.
Chepeska didn’t keep the tattoo to himself, as he showed it off at the several Lions games he attended this year, including Detroit’s 24-23 NFC Wild Card victory over the Los Angeles Rams and the former Lion Matthew Stafford.
“It just felt like destiny almost, to beat him back here where we spent so many years of him not being able to do this,” he told WXYZ-TV. “It was an emotional win.”
While some critics are calling his tattoo a jinx to the franchise’s historic run, Chepeska says most people are supportive of the rather extreme commitment.
“There are a few haters out there, but mostly everyone’s been positive,” he added. “The longer it goes the more people are getting on board.”
With only two wins before Chepeska’s summer time prediction comes true, the Lions fan is gearing up for a trip out west.
“Help Detroit Lions make it to the SUPERBOWL!” Chepeska wrote on a GoFundMe page as he is looking for some public help to make a trip to Las Vegas after what he says would be a Lions win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship on Sunday.
“It’s our turn, the most exciting time I’ve ever had as a Lions fan.”