The truth behind the claim that Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes would boycott Super Bowl
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Facebook posts falsely claimed Mahomes would boycott the Super Bowl over Bad Bunny.
- Mahomes made no public comment, and Kelce and Jason Kelce debunked related fabrications.
- Social media circulated fake quotes and stories; analysts and players urged caution.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce felt the need to clear up something during an episode of his New Heights podcast in April.
A widely shared story said Kelce bought a $3.3 million home in Kansas City to help homeless youth, and it was even mentioned on ESPN.
“I gotta make a little statement in the ‘don’t believe everything you read kids’ category or nice realm that you see online,” Kelce said. “Some false claims were thrown out there that I was doing something in the community that I was not.”
Kelce was not the first, nor will he be the last, Chiefs player to be featured in a fake story that is widely shared on Facebook. Some are benign, claiming a Chiefs player agreed to a small contract, and don’t garner much attention.
Other fake posts are widely shared, such as a recent one from the Facebook page Sunday at Arrowhead. It falsely claimed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would “boycott the Super Bowl if organizers still let Bad Bunny perform at the halftime show. He said he would instead join Turning Point USA to honor Charlie Kirk.”
Mahomes has not made a public comment about Kirk, who was murdered last month, nor Bad Bunny being picked to perform at halftime of Super Bowl LX. Mahomes’ goal is to lead the Chiefs to a fourth straight Super Bowl appearance, so the idea that he would not play after winning the AFC Championship Game is ludicrous.
The fake Facebook story claimed Mahomes called the Bad Bunny halftime show “the NFL’s circus.” Even if the Chiefs don’t advance to Super Bowl LX, Mahomes has not spoken about the halftime performer.
Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, and he was part of the Super Bowl LIV show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. The Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20 in that Super Bowl.
Mahomes had nothing negative to say about that show at the time.
There have been multiple false stories about current and former NFL players and coaches speaking out about Bad Bunny being selected for the Super Bowl halftime show. That includes former Eagles center Jason Kelce, the brother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The Daily Mail reported a quote was falsely attributed to Jason Kelce: “If Bad Bunny is a bad fit for the Super Bowl, then maybe the people making these comments are a bad fit for America’s future.”
Jason Kelce, who is now an ESPN analyst, took to social media to clarify that quote was fake.
“I normally don’t comment on things like this, but I feel I need to address that there are a number of accounts posting fake quotes and attributing them to me on this platform right now,” Kelce wrote on X. “I appreciate @X putting community notes on several and I will not address the other accounts specifically, because I do not want to amplify their engagement. But please know, unless you hear something directly from me via one of my platforms, it is not real.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 9:32 AM.
