A cheeky attempt by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to permanently etch “Go Packers” into a steel beam earmarked for use on the roof of the new Vikings stadium didn’t quite reach the endzone.
The Governor’s supposedly secret scrawl was removed from the offending beam before it could be used on the roof, stadium builder Mortenson Construction told MPR.
Walker had boasted about his graffiti attempt on a campaign visit in Schofield, Wisconsin, last week, with the New York Times reporting he had written the message during an earlier visit to the River Steel factory in his home state.
River Steel is a supplier to Minneapolis-based LeJeune Steel, according to ESPN, which is the main fabricator for the $1 billion stadium.
But John Wood, senior vice president of Mortenson Construction, said that Walker’s signature and message had been removed from the steel using a power grinder, ensuring there will be no voodoo curse over the Vikings when they play in the new stadium from 2016.
“Governor Walker did sign a piece of steel that was in a fabrication shop in Wisconsin, but his signature and whatever else he wrote has been removed from that piece of steel,” Wood told MPR.
Arguably, any true Packers fan would have kept the secret graffiti to themselves, given that the Vikings stadium is only a quarter built and work on the roof hasn’t even started yet.
But the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Republican governor is neck-and-neck with Democratic Party candidate Mary Burke as voters head to the polls – meaning Walker may benefit from a last-ditch popularity boost.
Vikings fans are unlikely to lose much sleep should his re-election campaign prove unsuccessful.
