Crocky-J has company: A Chiefs draft pick will be bringing pet python to KC
Move over, Crocky-J. You may no longer be the most unique pet owned by a Chiefs player.
The Chiefs on Friday night selected Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott with their second-round pick (No. 63 overall). Norman-Lott is an animal lover and he has a dog, cat and ... python.
Yep, a snake.
Chiefs running back Carson Steele made headlines last year when people found out about his pet alligator Crocky-J.
Norman-Lott has a calico ball python, and it was banned from Tennessee’s football facility by Volunteers coach Josh Heupel.
“He got vetoed from the facility,” Norman-Lott said on the Vol Club Confidential podcast. “I used to bring him up there and stuff like that. And one day, Coach (Heupel) came up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, no more snake, man.’ I was like, ‘All right, man.’”
Oh, and the python shares a name with a Chiefs wide receiver: JuJu, although it’s unknown if he was named after JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The subject of the python came up when Norman-Lott was asked about his off-the-field interests.
“My animals,” he said. “I’m fully invested. When I’m cleaning the snake cage or walking my dog, playing with a trainer or playing with my cat. That’s really what makes me go off the field. I don’t really do anything else.”
Norman-Lott was asked who watches his animals when he flies back to California to see his mother.
“I got both my dog and my cat, they’re registered as emotional support so they can fly with me. That’s not usually a problem,” Norman-Lott said. “And the snake is good, as long as I feed him before I go. Change the bedding, or whatever, put some new water in there. He’ll be all right. He could go up to, like, a year without eating, six months to a year.”
Norman-Lott noted that JuJu is a crafty snake.
“It’s actually funny. I’ve watched him sit there and find weak points in the cage, see if he could find a way to get out,” Norman-Lott said. That’s fascinating to watch. But you’ve got to make sure you’re locking it up.”
Not a cold-weather fan
Norman-Lott said on the podcast that he really hates something that he can’t avoid in Kansas City.
“That’s my kryptonite, man: Cold weather,” he said. “Getting cold, freezing my hands, start becoming fragile. I don’t know. This is my kryptonite, cold weather.”
But the California kid did enjoy his first experience with snow.
“When it was snowing, I actually had a good time, but I had like seven layers on,” Norman-Lott said when it snowed in Tennessee. “You clearly see, I’ve never even probably been in snow that much because I was out there doing snow angels in 2 inches of snow.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Crocky-J has company: A Chiefs draft pick will be bringing pet python to KC."
