Mark Wahlberg Left the Super Bowl Early Because His Son Was Throwing a Fit

“He was spitting out F-bombs and going crazy,” Wahlberg said of his eight-year-old son.

Mark Wahlberg is a fixture around the Patriots, constantly on the sidelines hobnobbing with his doppelganger Julian Edelman and other New England players. So when he ducked out of Super Bowl LI early last year as the Pats were being drubbed by the Falcons, people were surprised. Was he not really a true fan? No, Wahlberg explained at the time that he left early because his son wasn’t feeling well. 

That’s only sort of true, it turns out. Wahlberg explained in a recent interview with Men’s Health that he really left because the kid, eight-year-old Brendan, was making a scene. 

“He was spitting out F-bombs and going crazy. It was bad,” says Wahlberg, shuddering as if he’s reliving the moment. “He was lying down on the carpet. He was very upset.” Rhea wanted to stay, but Wahlberg wasn’t having it and left with his boy.

I ask Wahlberg if his son learned a valuable lesson about not giving up on your team, and he laughs. “Heck no. He’s a vicious sore loser. He wants the ball. He hates when his brother gets it. When he doesn’t get the ball, he goes crazy. He throws rocks.”

Leaving a luxury box at the most dramatic Super Bowl in ages is a thousand times worse than any punishment I got as a kid.