The photo of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs on the field in January 2021 at Arrowhead Stadium watching the AFC championship celebration by the Kansas City Chiefs is being shared again as the Bills head to Kansas City on Sunday. Longtime Buffalo News photographer James P. McCoy explains how he got the photo that went viral and has become a symbol of the Bills’ desire for revenge.
I covered the entire 2020 Bills season from the front row of the stands, and the AFC championship game was no different. No media photographers were allowed on the field because of Covid-19 restrictions. Covering a professional football game from this vantage point is difficult. I'm accustomed to shooting from the field and documenting the action at eye level. I usually try to show the readers a perspective that they don’t see when watching from the stands.
Several local newspaper and television photographers, along with those from national outlets, all cramped into the front row. I would move as fast as I could between the seats while excusing myself as I passed another journalist. Covid-19 was very much on everyone’s mind, and we tried to keep 6 feet apart, but it was impossible.
The game did not lend itself to great action photos. I needed images that told the story of the game. With the game out of reach, I decided to concentrate on player reactions. The game ended and the Bills players walked off the field, exchanging hugs as Kansas City started its celebration. All of the players were heading off the field, except for Stefon Diggs. A few players tried to get him to leave, but he refused. Coach Sean McDermott came running out from the locker room and consoled his star receiver.
McDermott ended his embrace and left the field, but Diggs stayed. I zoomed in on Diggs standing on the field by himself from the vantage point behind the bench. My photo assistant came sprinting up to me, yelling that the best view of the photo was from behind him, with the Chiefs celebrating in the back, from the end zone. I sprinted through the seats to the end zone. I was praying Diggs would hold his ground for just a few more seconds.
Diggs had his hands on his hips, and I knew that was the image. Luckily, another photographer who was blocking my view moved to the side of my frame for about 10 seconds and I had my shot. I called the director of photography and explained the shot. We were on a tight deadline. All I had to do was run the length of the stadium between the seats, up the lower stadium stands and three flights of stairs. I made it just in time to the photographers’ media room. The person in charge was packing up. I told him I only needed a few minutes to transmit. The photo was published quickly online, and within hours, the image had gone viral.
