Mark Wahlberg Misses Most Epic Super Bowl Comeback Ever to Care for Sick Kid

Actor Mark Wahlberg attends Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium on Sunday. (Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Actor Mark Wahlberg attends Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium on Sunday. (Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

You win some, you lose some — and Mark Wahlberg lost this one. On Sunday night, the Ted star (who hails from Boston and happens to be a die-hard Patriots fan) was caught on camera slipping out of the game with his wife, Rhea Durham, and their two sons around 9:40 p.m. ET, back when his beloved Pats were down and the outlook for a victory wasn’t looking good.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for users to begin skewering the star, calling him out as a “loser” for giving up on his team and saying they’d “lost respect” for him. Adding insult to injury, about 15 minutes after he exited the stadium, Julian Edelman made an absurd catch that changed the momentum of the game, which ultimately led the Patriots to victory in the first-ever Super Bowl overtime. It turned out, however, that the former rapper had a good reason for cutting out early: a sick child.

Presumably after either seeing some of those comments or just assuming people would think the worst, the Wahlburgers co-owner took to Instagram to explain why he’d left. “I had to leave the game early because my youngest son wasn’t feeling well,” he revealed. “Trust me, I would have loved to be at the stadium — but family first. Doesn’t mean I don’t love my Patriots too! ❤” Mark Wahlberg made it clear he’s no fair-weather fan.

Despite the fact that they left before what has been dubbed the most epic comeback in Super Bowl history, Wahlberg and his boys seemed to have a good time while they were there. “Big day with my little guys,” Wahlberg wrote under a shot of himself crouched between his two sons, who wore Gronkowski and Blount jerseys.

It definitely was a big day, but just not in the way they’d intended. But it might not be too late for the Wahlberg men to relive the glory they initially missed — at least, if this Twitter user is correct in his assertion. “Mark Wahlberg left the game early to write the upcoming film ‘Patriot Pride’ with Peter Berg,” he began. “He will be playing Julian Edelman.”

It’s safe to say the 45-year-old football fan wasn’t thrilled about leaving early, but at least he can laugh about it.