Rob Huntze is a 41-year old insurance agent in St. Louis. For a few minutes Monday, he was also almost a millionaire. Key word being almost.
Here’s what happened. Huntze was in a DraftKings contest that had a $1 million first prize attached to it, and things were lining up beautifully in the game between the LA Rams and Chicago Bears. One of his lineups that featured both the Rams’ and Bears’ defenses had scored 97.79 points. That was the most out of all 176,470 entries, and he knew that because his computer screen listed the leaders and showed he won the million-dollar prize.
Huntze gave his parents a call, texted some buddies, then took his dog for a walk and probably put together a list of things he was going to do with his new-found wealth.
Fast forward to when he returned to the house and refreshed his computer screen “just to see myself on top,” he told ESPN. “And, then, boom.”
A stat change in the game, took him out of the new tax bracket he thought he had just entered. A sack that had been credited to the Bears’ defense late in the game was changed to a running play and a 3-yard loss for Rams QB Jared Goff. That revised stat, dropped Huntze into an 18-way tie for sixth place. His winnings dropped to $3,078.94.
Instead of being able to buy a new house, a BMW, a boat and a two-week vacation, he could now buy a nice grill with his winnings. “Heartbreaking on many levels,” is how he described it to ESPN.
Hicks was initially credited with a sack, but the official scorer later changed the play to a 3-yard loss on a run by Goff. Rams wide receivers appeared to be blocking downfield, an indication of a designed run. Sacks are not credited on designed runs.
Like any great competitor, Huntze plans on being back in front of his computer screen for Thursday Night Football. “I want a little redemption story,” he told ESPN.
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