In the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs’ crushing 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, fans zeroed in on an unexpected controversy: Did Patrick Mahomes deliberately snub running back Samaje Perine on the team’s sideline?
Viral footage captured an emotional Mahomes working his way down the bench at New Orleans’ Superdome in the game’s waning moments, shaking hands with teammates as he acknowledged their efforts in the brutal defeat.
Beginning with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and ending with a heartfelt embrace of star tight end Travis Kelce, Mahomes appeared to make a point of recognizing his teammates.
But what caught the internet’s attention was a brief, seemingly awkward moment: As Mahomes moved down the line, he appeared to skip over Perine, instead opting to hug Kelce, who finished his quiet night with four catches for 39 yards.
Needless to say, fans made their opinions on Mahomes’ alleged snub heard loud and clear on X…
“So Perine’s days are numbered. Not even his fault. Bum ass Mahomes missed him on 3+ open routes and then gets pissed at him for missing 1 target. All while Kermit throws 3 picks & gets strip sacked. KM15 never takes accountability.”
“Extremely poor show…..Mahomes is the so called leader of the team and should never leave anyone out!!! Piss poor!!”
“I like Mahomes and wanted this to make sense…but I’ve watched it 10 times and can’t see it as anything other than a rude, blatant snub.”
“That’s not good sportsmanship and it’s not a class act. Your team IS your team! This is football game. Greed… so they don’t get as much $$$… That’s not leadership it’s not how you treat your team members. It’s a bad example.”
“Bitch move Mahommes.”
“What a scumbag @PatrickMahomes.”
“He’s still mad about the 2015 game when he was the QB at Texas Tech and Perine ran for 201 and four touchdowns on them.”
“Bro even stood up to give him the respect that’s wild.”
The three-time Super Bowl MVP finished the night with 21 completions on 32 attempts, throwing for three touchdowns but also two costly interceptions – one of which was returned for a touchdown by Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean.
Even the most loyal Chiefs fan will tell you that Mahomes’ final stat-line is one of the most deceiving in Super Bowl history.
The fact of the matter is he played one of his worst games – if not THE worst – in his whole entire NFL career.
Having said that, we all know how great of a player and leader Mahomes has been. Despite the spotlight always being on him, Mahomes has always said and done the right thing.
You may hate the Chiefs – but it’s virtually impossible to not respect the hell out of Mahomes as a competitor and leader.
All of this is why the scene on the sidelines was so bizarre … Do you think it’s a sign of a deeper problem within the team?
Or has the whole situation been blown WAY out of proportion???
