Wes Welker won a lot of money at the Kentucky Derby earlier this month — so much money that he was perfectly content to dish out hundreds of it to random strangers.
Unfortunately for Welker, Churchill Downs now wants some of that cash back.
The racetrack announced Friday that a combination of mechanical malfunction and human error resulted in an overpayment of nearly $15,000 to an associate of the Denver Broncos wide receiver.
“An individual believed to be a member of Wes Welker’s group on Kentucky Derby day was the beneficiary of an overpayment north of $14,000 on a wager due to a tote malfunction,” Churchill Downs spokesman Darren Rogers said in a statement, via ESPN.com. “In turn, a letter has been sent to that individual in an attempt to resolve the error.”
Welker received a grand total of $57,193.90 in winnings, sources told TMZ, and the former New England Patriots star said Friday on “The Dan Patrick Show” that he had no idea at the time that something was awry with his payment.
“They could have underpaid us, and we wouldn’t have known,” he said.
UPDATE (3:45 p.m.): ESPN’s Darren Rovell tweeted out a photo of what reportedly is the letter Churchill Downs sent to Welker’s acquaintance.
[tweet https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/467388306586886145 align=’center’]
Photo via Twitter/@Jeff_Novak
