Patrick Mahomes said he finds it “weird” there is specific criticism aimed toward him and fellow black NFL quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.
“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 told reporters on Friday. “Every day, we’re proving that we should have been playing the whole time.”
The Chiefs franchise quarterback, who has won a Super Bowl and an MVP award, was recently criticized for playing “streetball” when his first read is taken away, according to a report by The Athletic, quoting an anonymous NFL defensive coordinator.
Mahomes noted that black quarterbacks are often more subject to different types of criticism than white signal-callers.
For example, Murray recently led the Cardinals to their first playoff berth in six years.
But the Arizona quarterback was put under a microscope for an “independent study” clause placed in his newly signed five-year, $230.5 million extension, which was later removed. Murray said he refuses to let his work ethic be questioned.
Patrick Mahomes USA TODAY Sports“You always feel like you have more to prove,’’ Mahomes added on about the topic. “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.
“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.’’
