Skeptics are calling into question if Kliff Kingsbury really bought a one-way ticket to Thailand.
The internet has been roaring since Saturday when Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager reported recently fired Cardinals coach traveled to the southeast Asian country with no plans to leave it, coupled with the fact that Kingsbury’s girlfriend, Veronica Bielik, has been posting on Instagram from the region of late.
“Kliff Kingsbury bought a one-way ticket to Thailand,” Schrager said. “He’s already been contacted by several different teams about whether he’d like to interview for a job. He said, ‘No, I’m good.’ He’s being paid five years guaranteed by the Arizona Cardinals. That check hits every two weeks. He’s going to take his time before he figures out if he wants to come back to football. For now he has told all teams that he is not interested in returning at the moment.”
Jack Shafer, a columnist at Politico, chimed in with a response that the specifics of this excursion are impossible.
“The Thai Embassy says you can’t enter Thailand on a tourist visa with a one-way ticket,” Shafer tweeted.
Shafer linked to the site ThaiEmbassy.com, which is operated by a third party not affiliated with the state of Thailand.
“No, you cannot apply or even enter Thailand on a Tourist visa on a one-way ticket,” the site says. “The Embassy or consulate will refuse your visa application if not being able to provide proof of return or outgoing ticket from Thailand.”
The site Thaizer.com says that traveling to the nation on a one-way ticket is generally not allowed, and the airlines may refuse to accommodate before you even travel there. However, it did say there can be exceptions on a “valid visa.”
Regardless, it’s certainly possible that Kingsbury’s exit from Thailand will be to another exotic locale in the region, as there are no shortage of them. The underlying message is loud and clear: Do not expect him back in football next season — or potentially longer — as the checks continue to pour in.
Meanwhile, fans of the coach have been checking in on his status in the comments section on Veronica Bielik’s Instagram page.
“How’s Kliff doing?!” one user wrote; another asked, “Can you ask kliff if he plans on coming back?”