Since bursting onto the scene nearly a year ago, Gritty has captivated a nation. And while that nation is The Internet™, I would also vote for him for President of the United States (just saying, Gritty, you have my support). And while his potential presidential candidacy isn’t the subject of this post, it’s certainly relevant, because what we’re here to talk about, people, is Gritty’s security detail.
That’s right.
This guy:
(the one shooting the cannon, I mean)
Yes, all summer long, we’ve been treated to videos of Gritty and his bodyguard. They’ve hung out by the pool:
They’ve fished:
They’ve ridden a motorcycle-ish thing down a quiet street:
They even participated in one of the summer’s viral crazes:
But where did this man come from? He doesn’t look that much like either of these similarly clad bracket-holders from back in March (wrong tournament, by the way, and good on Gritty for slicing it in two):
He might be the guy on the left in this Bubble Bath Halloween Costume:
He does look a lot like this man holding the sign for Gritty’s joke at Bears fans’ expense in January:
But who is he, really? And how did he get here?
It’s possible he’s been around the whole time. It’s possible he’s a team employee, or city employee, charged with protecting Philadelphia’s most popular Gritizen at all costs.
But there’s another possibility.
Remember that outdoor game in February, when Gritty did this?
Look what happened afterwards:
Yes, what I think may have happened is that Gritty won over one of his captors after the streaking incident, leading them to join forces. And this guy, whether the Flyers want him there or not, is now Gritty’s personal Secret Service.
It’s possible the guy was there the whole time. It’s also possible those look-alikes in early security-adjacent hijinks are simply doppelgängers. Either way, what seems to have happened is the following timeline:
September:
The Flyers discover Gritty.
October-January:
Hilarity ensues.
February:
Gritty takes things a little too far, getting naked in public. He’s arrested by his former friends and forced into the depths of whatever the Flyers’ arena is named.
March:
One of the security men defects. He sees what’s right. Gritty has won him over.
March (still):
Gritty, freed, and mad that he had to play along with that dumb basketball tournament, sneaks up behind two of his enemies and slashes the bracket with a hockey stick.
April-Today:
Gritty and the security detail, now best friends, proceed with their lives.
***
Needless to say, we’ll be keeping an eye on this.
