ESPN+ airing ChiefsAholic documentary on alleged bank-robbing superfan

We are a handful of months away from the trial of Xaviar Babudar, better known as ChiefsAholic, the well known and popular Chiefs werewolf costume wearing superfan. Babudar stands accused of 19-counts related to bank robberies and money laundering. If you’re unfamiliar with this insane story, let’s get you caught up here via USA Today:

Prosecutors allege Babudar stole nearly $700,000 across five banks in Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee throughout 2022, while also attempting robberies in Minnesota. In some of the robberies, Babudar was alleged to brandish a firearm at bank employees. After some of the robberies, Babudar deposited the money in personal bank accounts, officials said.

In June 2022, prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season, prosecutors said Babudar placed $10,000 on two bets at a casino in Illinois, one on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to win Super Bowl 57 MVP, and another one on the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl. After Kansas City defeated Philadelphia, Babudar won $100,000 off the bets he placed and was mailed a check in March, officials said.

Babudar was later charged with robbing a bank in Oklahoma in December 2022, but he was released on bond in February. Days after Babudar was mailed his winnings, he cut his ankle monitor and fled Oklahoma. He evaded law enforcement until he was arrested in Sacramento, California, on July 7.

Babudar’s ongoing story was wildly popular on social media and now building off of that interest, ESPN has announced a documentary set to debut next week. ESPN dropped details of this project and the trailer, which is below, earlier today.

https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1725177318405034031

The documentary clocks in at 40 minutes and unfortunately will debut on ESPN+ so you’ll either have to pay for that if you want to watch although I imagine you’ll see it air on other ESPN platforms not long after. Although ESPN didn’t interview Babudar directly, they were able to get his lawyer to ask him questions on their behalf. From the press release:

“We’ve been reporting this story for almost a year, and although ChiefsAholic had a huge online presence, extracting even the most basic information about him was a challenge,” said Merrill. “So, when his attorney agreed to send him a list of our questions in September, we felt as if it was somewhat of a breakthrough. Babudar wouldn’t answer questions about his case, but he did paint a picture of a man who got caught up in his own superfan persona.”

We’d love if this was a bit longer of a documentary and was available for wider distribution on a larger platform or streaming service. All that said, this story wasn’t a lock to get any type of longform feature so 40 minutes on ESPN+ is a solid win for those who can’t get enough of this crazy story.