(NEXSTAR) – Ahead of last year’s Super Bowl LV in Tampa, three high school friends concocted a plan: promote a porn site, create a viral moment and get paid – almost $400,000. They took their shot in the fourth quarter of the 2021 Buccaneers-Chiefs game, when Yuri Andrade ran across the field in a pink leotard and flashed his butt.
With Super Bowl LVI kicking off in Inglewood on Sunday, you may be wondering what happened to the latest in a long line of sporting event streakers. It turns out the behind-the-scenes story of how it came together is just as odd as the event itself, writes Anita Chabria for Los Angeles Times.
Andrade, a Boca Raton native, was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and booked into a county jail. But reports indicate he had help getting on the field. Social media personality Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who’s staged similar stunts, was a friend of Andrade’s from high school.
Zdorovetskiy hoped to get exposure for his adult website, Vitaly Uncensored – which was written on the front of Andrade’s leotard. Zdorovetskiy paid for tickets to get Andrade and Douglas Charles Schaffer Jr., called “Decoy Doug,” into the stadium.
Schaffer Jr., was another high school friend of Zdorovetskiy and Andrade. When it was time for Andrade’s moment, Schaffer Jr. also rushed the field to distract guards away from Andrade, Chabria reports. Schaffer Jr. also was charged with misdemeanor trespassing after his arrest. Zdorovetskiy wasn’t charged at all.
Meanwhile, Andrade and friends had placed a bet on the odds of a streaker showing up at the game with offshore agency Bovada – and were primed to profit $375,000, NJ.com explains. The online betting platform refused payment after learning Andrade planned the whole thing.
Nevertheless, Andrade gained brief notoriety. He’s currently verified on Instagram, where he has over 200,000 followers. Ultimately, he was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and a year of probation.
Andrade’s name was once again in the news in January, when it was reported he’d been named as a person of interest in a Gualala, California, home invasion. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department says a caller reported someone named “Yuri” was trying to kill them. Andrade has not been charged and no arrests have been made in the case, however.
LA Times reached out to all parties involved. Zdorovetskiy didn’t respond, Chabria says. Andrade reportedly screamed “F— off!” at her. “Decoy Doug” meanwhile said he’s happy working as a club promoter in Florida and splitting his time in San Diego, saying he wouldn’t change having been a part of the plot.
Streaking is a common stunt at sporting events overall, including the Olympics. Sports Illustrated reports the earliest confirmed incidence of streaking happened in 1799, while streaking at sporting events was popularized in the 1970s.