Patrick Mahomes on 'weird' criticisms he and other Black quarterbacks have faced this week
Patrick Mahomes has taken notice of the “weird” criticisms that he and other Black quarterbacks in the NFL have received lately.
Though he didn't want to say that Black quarterbacks are evaluated differently than their white counterparts, Mahomes thinks the comments that he, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray have gotten this week are strange.
"Obviously, the Black quarterback has had to battle to be in this position that we are to have this many guys in the league playing," Mahomes said Friday, KSHB's Aaron Ladd. "I think every day, we're proving that we should have been playing the whole time. We've got guys that can think just as well as they can use their athleticism.
“It's always weird when you see guys like me, Lamar [Jackson], Kyler [Murray] kind of get that on them when other guys don't. But at the same time we're going out there to prove ourselves every day to show we can be some of the best quarterbacks in the league."
Asked #Chiefs Patrick Mahomes if he feels he's evaluated differently because he's a black quarterback.
Mahomes' response: pic.twitter.com/0fgs3hV4o2— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) July 29, 2022
Both Mahomes and Jackson were subject to criticism from anonymous NFL coaches in a story from The Athletic this week. One veteran defensive playcaller thought that Mahomes “plays streetball” when he scrambles.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid thought that was ridiculous.
#Chiefs Andy Reid on Mahomes 'streetball' comparisons: "Just take a peek at [the film], see how many times he hits the second receiver." pic.twitter.com/zWRauWeAT8
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) July 29, 2022
“A lot of coaches have to teach guys how to roll out and call plays to do that. He just does it,” Reid said Friday. “No, he’s tremendous … See how many times he hits the second receiver.”
In that same article, one defensive coordinator said he didn’t think Jackson, a former league MVP, will ever be a true top quarterback. Kyler Murray just had a strange clause in his contract removed on Thursday night that had initially required him to watch a certain amount of game film each week, too. Murray called the clause “disrespectful and almost a joke” just hours before the Cardinals pulled it.
Though Mahomes’ record should speak for itself at this point — the 26-year-old has led the Chiefs to a pair of Super Bowls, one championship where he was named the game’s MVP and led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game in his four seasons leading the team — he said he still feels like he has something to prove.
"You always feel like you have more to prove," Mahomes said, via ESPN. "I promise Tom Brady is feeling like he has more to prove. That comes with any sport, any competitor. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. They build you up to tear you down. You've got to kind of know that.
“For me, it's all about how I can make myself better, not what other people say. How can I make myself better so that we go out there and play football games? At the end of the day nothing matters until you're on that football field playing and that's where you get to prove who you are every single day."
