Buffalo official addresses allegation that Chiefs’ hot water was shut off

Nov 3, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; General view of the Buffalo Bills logo at New Era Field prior to the game against the Washington Redskins. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills were accused of engaging in some funny business after their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but a local official says the allegation is completely false.

Kansas City advanced to the AFC Championship Game with a 27-24 win over the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y. After the game, Chiefs offensive lineman Donovan Smith wrote on X that the Bills shut off the hot water to the visiting locker room.

“Damn caught a L and they shut our hot water off … smh its all good we got that Dub today #ChiefsKingdom,” Smith wrote.

Damn caught a L and they shut our hot water off… smh its all good we got that Dub today #ChiefsKingdom

— Donovan Smith (@DSmith_76) January 22, 2024

A representative for Eerie County, which owns Highmark Stadium, told TMZ on Monday that there is no truth to Smith’s claim. Eerie County press secretary Peter Anderson said it is not even possible to turn off the hot water to one locker room without cutting it off to both.

“This is false,” Anderson said. “There is no way to turn hot water off on one side or the other. There are two huge hot water tanks which feed both home and away locker rooms.”

Anderson added that it is possible the Chiefs experienced issues with the hot water in the locker room, but that would be the result of high demand after a cold game.

“It is no different than in your home. When the water runs continuously, it will struggle to keep up with demand,” he said. “Everything for hot water in the locker rooms was upgraded in recent renovations.”

Stories have existed for years about host teams messing with the visiting locker room. While there have definitely been some unfortunate issues, they almost always turn out to be just that — unfortunate.

Chiefs players definitely had to deal with some unruly fans as they made their way off the field following their win (video here), but we tend to doubt that the Bills deliberately limited their hot water.