The trip that changed the 2021 NFL season started with an unusual forecast for Los Angeles: gloomy, with a significant chance of rain. The weather matched the mood of the Rams football team, after the Packers ended their season with a bludgeoning at Lambeau Field.
Veronika Khomyn knew her fiancé, Sean McVay, needed to get away. So she called Melissa Whitworth, whose husband, Andrew, played left tackle for McVay. “Do you want to get out of here?” Khomyn asked. No hesitation. Of course they did.
Both couples—and all four of the Whitworth children—departed that Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. They flew to Cabo San Lucas and settled in at the Chileno Bay Resort. The plan: relax, swim, sleep and down more than a few drinks with fresh fruit and mini umbrellas in them, all to forget a second forgettable season after their Super Bowl appearance in the ’18 season. None of them knew then the dizzying chain of events that phone call would set in motion. “Honestly, it’s not even believable,” Melissa says. “But it’s the truth.”
