LA Rams flag team member being flown out to Super Bowl 53

Rob McMillan Image
Monday, January 28, 2019
LA Rams flag team member being flown out to Super Bowl 53
It's not just the players who'll be hitting the field on Super Bowl Sunday, a member of the Los Angeles Rams flag crew is being flown out by the team.

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- It's not just the players who'll be hitting the field on Super Bowl Sunday, a member of the Los Angeles Rams flag crew is being flown out by the team.

When the Rams score a touchdown, several things tend to happen: The score goes up, the fans go crazy, and the flags start flying!

Matthew Valdez is a member of the Rams flag crew, tasked with storming the field whenever the Rams light up the scoreboard.

He's been doing this for the past two seasons, and the high-powered Rams offense has kept the flag crew busy.

RELATED: Super Bowl-bound Rams host send-off rally at Inglewood stadium site

Throngs of Rams fans attended a send-off rally Sunday morning at the team's under-construction stadium in Inglewood, one week before the Rams take on the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

"The more points we rack up, of course we're out there. The last time I got insanely tired and excited was the Rams versus the (Kansas City) Chiefs. Oh my gosh! You know those points," he recalled.

Now, all that scoring has added up to a Rams Super Bowl appearance, and the Rams' offense is setting its sights on the end zone in Atlanta's high-tech stadium -- that means they'll be needing their flag crew on the field.

That's right: The flag crew -- which normally only works home games -- is going along for the ride, courtesy of the Rams organization. When Valdez got the good news, he lost it.

"I called everybody on the phone. I called my dad first...It's a tremendous feeling, an awesome honor just to go out and represent the team," he said.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a guy who won't catch a pass - or score a point - but one fans love to see hit the field.

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