The Shady Side Of Patrick Mahomes
Three-time Super Bowl winner and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is universally viewed as one of the greatest talents playing in the NFL today. While the 2023-24 season might not have been as epic as Chiefs Kingdom dreamed of (until that epic Super Bowl battle into overtime, of course), Patrick's stats still rank him with the third-best winning percentages of all active quarterbacks. Known for his come-from-behind wins, Patrick can juke and rush with the best of 'em, and he's beloved in Kansas City, Missouri.
But everyone has skeletons in their closet and even Patrick isn't perfect. The quarterback has been marred by scandal due to his younger brother, Jackson Mahomes, and his wife, Brittany Mahomes. In 2023, Jackson was accused of sexual assault after forcibly kissing Kansas City-based restaurant owner Aspen Vaughn, according to the New York Post. Patrick chose not to denounce his brothers' actions, and he continues to turn a deaf ear to fans who call out Brittany for her problematic behavior — from spraying fans with champagne to publicly shading the NFL.
Fans also saw another side to Patrick in December 2023 when his Chiefs fell to the Buffalo Bills late in the fourth quarter. Responding to refs' calls of offsides play that negated the Chiefs' last-gasp touchdown, Patrick slammed his helmet on the ground and was caught on camera screaming profanity at the officials. It's a far cry from the even-keeled player everyone is used to seeing on TV, but maybe he's different when things aren't going his way?
How Patrick Mahomes lost his cool
Picture this: with a first seed position in the AFC on the line, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs lined up with less than two minutes on the clock. They went on to score an incredible touchdown thanks to a surprise cross-field lateral from Travis Kelce to Kadarius Toney. But officials called back the touchdown due to offsides, the Chiefs lost the game, and Mahomes had a meltdown for the ages. X, formerly known as Twitter, has all the receipts of the quarterback — who had to be restrained by his teammates — screaming at referees and slamming his helmet on the ground.
People were not impressed. "Patrick Mahomes acting like a baby because the Chiefs who get more calls than any other team in the NFL is hilarious," one user posted to X. "The Chiefs reaction to the Buffalo loss and the Toney play has been tone deaf every step of the way. Bad look," someone else wrote. What's more, Mahomes could've been — and was — penalized for his behavior. Ian Rapoport of the NFL wrote, "[Mahomes'] on-field yelling at the refs before the game ended and then on-field comments while cameras were rolling and present may be more of an issue."
Although Mahomes told 610 Sports that he regretted his dramatic outburst, the quarterback was ultimately fined $50,000 for his outburst, according to ESPN.
Is Patrick Mahomes a bad role model?
As one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL, plenty of young viewers and fans look up to Patrick Mahomes. That puts him under a microscope and even his seemingly tame behavior can draw flack. In February 2023, Mahomes celebrated his second Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs by publicly drinking at the city's parade — a move that didn't sit well with many. "It is completely unnecessary to let Chiefs players drink during the Super Bowl parade. It should not have been allowed by [Coach] Andy Reid and the team's ownership for some very good reasons," one reader wrote in the Kansas City Star. Another person clarified that Mahomes' actions could negatively impact the children and teenagers who watch the televised parade.
That June, a separate Kansas City Star article reported that Mahomes shot-gunned a beer onstage at a concert with country star Luke Combs. On social media, fans reacted with dismay. "Anyone who can suck beer down like that is mostly an alcoholic, teaching kids to do the same is not my idea of a role model, but to the @NFL, apparently it is," one person wrote, according to Marca. Another user slammed Mahomes by saying he was "not a good example."
Is Patrick Mahomes too competitive?
You don't win three Super Bowls by being complacent, and everybody knows Patrick Mahomes is competitive. But, sometimes that competitiveness gets the better of him and makes the athlete a bad sport. "That dude is one of the most competitive people I've ever played against," Maxx Crosby, a defensive end for the Last Vegas Raiders, told Bleacher Report. "When I'm out there, he's talking s**t ... Most quarterbacks aren't like that. They're silent. They're not going to say much." Crosby then reflected on a game in Kansas City when he sacked the quarterback and Mahomes retaliated by bumping his shoulder and going head-to-head with him. The moment later went viral on social media.
Fans also saw this footage for themselves when the Netflix documentary "Quarterback" aired on-the-field footage from that game. In a clip, viewers heard Mahomes yelling, "I'm here all day," after the Chiefs scored their first touchdown. He also told Crosby, "You woke up the wrong motherf**ker," a move that got him in trouble. "Whenever Coach Reid has to grab you and pull you aside, that's when you know you're going too far," Mahomes reflected, according to Sports Illustrated.
Patrick Mahomes is a sore loser
In addition to Patrick Mahomes' on-the-field meltdown when the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills in December 2023, he was also rude to the opposing quarterback, Josh Allen. Instead of congratulating Allen, cameras caught Mahomes telling him, "Wildest f**king call I've ever seen. Offensive offsides on that play, man? F**king terrible." Allen can be seen simply clapping Mahomes on the chest and looking uncomfortable.
The internet had a ton of fun with it. One person tweeted a meme of Vince Vaughn saying, "Why are you yelling at me?" captioning it, "Josh Allen at midfield post-game when he's just looking for a 'Good game. Stay healthy!' from Patrick Mahomes." Another person shared their opinion of what Allen should have told Mahomes at that moment. It's worth noting that this interaction was complicated by the ongoing rivalry between both quarterbacks. In 2022, Allen's Bills lost in overtime to the Chiefs in the AFC playoffs. Fans felt the matchup was the game of the year, and Allen was devastated by the loss.
However, Mahomes ultimately appeared to regret his rudeness toward Allen. "He had nothing to do [with the loss]," Mahomes told 610 Sports. "I was still hot and emotional, but you can't do that. It's not a great example for kids watching the game. I was more upset about that than [watching] me on the sidelines."
Patrick Mahomes is tone deaf
In 2023, Patrick Mahomes signed a $210.6 million contract to stay with the Kansas City Chiefs through the 2026 season. This ranks him among the highest-paid players in the league, but Patrick had an interesting take on the increased cash flow, insisting that he only took the money to help his fellow NFL players. "I don't want people to be negotiated against me, and so that's the reason that you do something like I did ... just trying to keep the market moving in the right direction. ...So not only me but other quarterbacks in other positions can get paid the money they deserve," Mahomes told ESPN.
But fans clearly felt this tactic was shady. Instead, they wanted to see Mahomes own up to the fact he simply wanted to make more money, rather than putting a do-gooder spin on it. "I like and respect Mahomes. Dude is incredible but this is so corny to say," one person posted to X. "Bro felt a 'responsibility' to get Paid," someone else wrote. "How generous of him to demand more money," a third joined in.
In February of that year, Mahomes also raised eyebrows when he gifted his daughter Sterling a $5,000 Chanel mini purse for her second birthday, per People. The move was certainly unconventional, but then again, so is Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes made shady comments after his third Super Bowl win
Super Bowl LVIII was one of the closest matches, with the Kansas City Chiefs beating out the San Fransisco 49ers by three points during overtime. It was the new rule implemented by the NFL in 2022 that allowed the Chiefs to take control of the last play. When the Chiefs battled it out on the field in overtime with the Buffalo Bills two years prior, they were able to score before the other team got possession of the ball during the playoffs. After many thought the win was unfair, the NFL changed the overtime rule to state that both teams must get at least one possession. After his 2024 Super Bowl win, Patrick Mahomes told ESPN that the 49ers winning the coin toss to take first possession gave them the advantage and he stated, "We changed the rule, so we can execute it both ways. I don't know how they're going to change it this time." A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, "'We changed the rules' is a crazy flex lol."
Mahomes also took a dig at haters who doubted the Chiefs' ability to win the 2024 Super Bowl. "Just know the Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs. Just know that," he stated in a video shared by the NFL. After being instrumental in leading the Chiefs to victory for the third time, and earning MVP status, we'll give him the right to gloat a bit.