People will try to take you down when you are the best in your field.
On Friday, Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, shared his thoughts about recent criticisms of the game — particularly from a racial perspective.
An anonymous NFL defensive coordinator made a viral quote earlier this week. The unnamed coach criticised Mahomes’ “streetball” style.
He said, “It’s weird that guys like Kyler and Lamar get [criticism] while other guys don’t,” “But we’re going to go out and prove ourselves every day.”
Patrick Mahomes speaks out on the recent criticism pic.twitter.com/c2JuKt4KGH
— PFF (@PFF) July 29, 2022
This observation is not new from the ex-league MVP. This is not a new observation from the former league MVP.
The league’s Black players make up a greater percentage of what was once a predominantly white position. A record number of African American quarterbacks were employed as QB1 at the start the 2020 season — Murray, Jackson, and Mahomes included.
Why are these anonymous defensive coordinators attacking 2 Black NFL MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. They add flare to the position and have won games at historic levels. Stop screaming for them to get off your lawn and accept that there is more than one way to win.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 27, 2022
These three star quarterbacks aren’t the traditional “typical QB” and they are held to a higher standard than other players in the league. According to the old saying, “Black Americans must work twice as hard in order to get half as far.”
These criticisms are unfair, but Mahomes and his Black quarterback teammates will continue to prove that they deserve their place at the table.