MIAMI -- The New England Patriots' team plane has delivered 500,000 Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines to El Salvador -- and in the process inadvertently inserted itself into a testy geopolitical fight for influence in Latin America.
The "Pats Plane" was greeted upon arrival in San Salvador early Wednesday, just after midnight, by China's top diplomat to the tiny Central American country.
The team says it had been aware of the flight but didn't arrange it -- that was done by a company that leases out the plane when the Patriots aren't using it.
The Boeing 767 -- emblazoned with the six-time Super Bowl champions' red, white and blue logo -- drew much of the local and international media attention when the cargo bay opened to offload a huge crate bearing Chinese script.