It was a difficult Sunday here at the Potter home.  My son, Taylor, and I watched helplessly as the hapless Kansas City Chiefs defeated our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.  Granted, it was a road game, but if you’ve ever seen the Pittsburgh Steelers play a road game, it’s not uncommon to see thousands of fans waving the yellow and black “Terrible Towels” in the stands .

Our day, however, wasn’t as bad as the day fellow Steelers fan Zack Eddinger had earlier this season when he traveled to Chicago to watch the game between the Steelers and the Chicago Bears.

According to WTAE in Pittsburgh, Eddinger said he and his friends were involved in some trash talk with a group of Bears fans at a Chicago bar before the game.  After a spirited interaction, the Bears fans eventually offered Eddinger a drink as a “peacemaker.”  And that’s when he claims things started to go terribly wrong.

Eddinger alleges that not long after taking the drink, he passed out and was rushed to a nearby hospital, his heart stopping four times.  At first, doctors thought he had too much to drink, but realized there was more to it.  Eddinger’s family rushed to Chicago to be with him after doctors told them he wasn’t going to make it.

According to the report from WTAE, doctors believe the drink may have been spiked with toxic grain alcohol, which made Eddinger deathly ill.  After recovering from the alcohol poisoning, he was reported as saying, “I don’t think they tried to kill me. I think they tried to hurt me, but the killing came pretty close.”

Like I said, I was licking my wounds after today’s game – until I read this story.  I used to say that every time my beloved Steelers lose, a small piece of me dies, but after reading about Eddinger’s near-death experience at the hands of some crazed Bears fans, I don’t think I’ll be saying that anymore!