Despite the opinions of others online, Patrick Mahomes is proud to be Black. During an interview with Clay Skipper of GQ magazine, the Kansas City Chiefs star and first-time Super Bowl winner opened up about people labeling him as “not full Black.”
“I’ve seen how people, on Twitter, have tweeted and said, ‘Oh, you’re not full Black.’ But I’ve always just had the confidence and believed in who I am. And I’ve known that I’m Black. And I’m proud to be Black. And I’m proud to have a white mom too,” the athlete explained. “I’m just proud of who I am. And I’ve always had that confidence in myself.”
Additionally, Mahomes pointed out his advantage of being the son of former major league pitcher Pat Mahomes. “The more I mature, I’ve learned that I was blessed to be in the situation that I was in,” the younger Mahomes explained.
During the interview, the 24-year-old quarterback also spoke on the topic of race in the NFL. Mahomes is one of more than a dozen other Black NFL stars to join in on a 71-second video that calls on the NFL to condemn racism. In recent years, the NFL notably found itself engulfed in a battle with former player Colin Kaepernick. As many may remember, Kaepernick ultimately was blackballed from the league after taking a knee during the national anthem as a way to bring awareness to police brutality in the United States. Kaepernick eventually sued the league, and both parties settled the dispute. Information regarding the case, however, never reached the public.
In the wake of the death of George Floyd and the rise of anti-racist protests, the NFL has been making efforts to dethrone racist rhetoric within its organization including the rebranding of the Washington Redskins, a name deemed insensitive toward Native Americans.
In efforts to use his platform for the greater good, Mahomes revealed that he spoke with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The two discussed Mahomes’ wish to promote voter registration and even suggested that the league have a specific personnel person dedicated to helping players tap into their community activism endeavors. “I remember talking about having maybe a social-justice officer that can point people in the right direction. So, whenever you wanna help out the community, you have someone that works with the team that can help,” Mahomes explained. “It was a great conversation. It lasted, like, 30 minutes to an hour.”
Mahomes’ interview comes after he became the first athlete to land a half-billion-dollar contract, worth up to $503 million, and the first NFL player to be the highest- paid athlete in the sports world, according to NFL Network.
On July 6, the star shared a video of him signing the contract. “We’re staying together … for a long time,” he wrote. “We’re chasing a dynasty.”
