Patrick Mahomes knows you want him safe, and the Chiefs’ star QB is doing his part
The NFL is off to a brilliant start with its COVID-19 strategy. Before we say anything else here, we should stress that. Aces. No group of humans can be perfect, but by all appearances the players, coaches and staff are taking guidelines seriously. Masks. Distancing (when possible). Washing. Sanitizing. The stuff.
The results are showing in the test results, which have consistently been well below national averages, and have actually been close to perfect at times.
Bravo, not just for the effort to bring us football, but also for the example that something kind-of-maybe-sort-of-a-little-bit close to normal can be had if we respect the virus.
All that is true, and should be the first three paragraphs. But at least two other truths must be acknowledged:
1. Major League Baseball was handling the virus successfully before its season started, too.
2. The nightmare scenario for the Chiefs and NFL of Patrick Mahomes testing positive the day before, or day of, a game remains.
Just know that Mahomes thinks about this, too. Maybe you’ve seen the mask — KEEP PATRICK MAHOMES SAFE. WEAR A MASK. Well, Mahomes wants you to know he’s doing his part.
“If I ended up getting COVID, I’m going to be out at least a week, maybe two weeks, maybe longer, and that’s just best-case scenario if nothing (with) long-term effects happens. I’m very, very conscious of where people are.”
Mahomes had quite the summer. He partied at Lake Tahoe with friends, played in a celebrity golf tournament, even acquired the fastest Ferrari ever produced. That was Offseason Mahomes. This is In-Season Mahomes.
He might go through the Chick-fil-A drive thru, but even then he’s wearing a mask (in a recent picture, at least), and the person in the passenger seat is tested and going through the same protocols.
Here’s the new rule of the Mahomes household: Anyone who walks inside has to be tested. And once there, if they leave to do anything, they must be tested again when they return.
“Like my brother,” Mahomes said. “If he ever leaves and does something I’ll make him go get COVID tested again. Brittany (Matthews, to whom he recently proposed) is on the same page as I am. We’re really taking it serious. It can happen to anybody. I think we’ve seen that in these last couple months. Anyone can get that, and it can spread to other people.”
In some ways Mahomes is well-positioned for this, and not just because Chiefs fans would jump in front of a bus smeared with coronavirus to protect him. The protocols. The testing. The tight bubble-ish life of an NFL player in season.
But in other ways, Mahomes is at risk. Case numbers are rising in Kansas City, and the 24-year-old Mahomes represents a demographic with particularly discouraging positive-case rates. He’s also one of the most famous people in America, with a job that requires constant interaction.
Mahomes isn’t the only Chiefs player in this situation, of course. Many players routinely hire a service to provide meals they don’t eat at the facility, and now they have groceries delivered to cover the rest.
They shop online. Hire for deliveries. Consume entertainment options at home, so there’s less reason and temptation to go out.
Andy Reid lives the hermit life of an NFL coach anyway, but he, too, has taken extra steps. His wife usually spends time in the summer and training camp at their house in California, but she stayed in Kansas City this year, limiting interactions with strangers.
Mahomes has more means than most, of course, to ensure he’s being careful. He has a personal assistant who is regularly tested and whom he trusts to do his shopping and take care of other obligations that can’t be done at the house.
There’s so much riding on each of the daily tests Mahomes takes. It’s a weird thing, but his health has become a coast-to-coast talking point — What if Patrick Mahomes tests positive?
That possibility is brought up in discussions about everything from the quality of the league’s protocols to the competitive integrity of the 2020 season.
This is perhaps cruel, but it’s also true: Not all positive tests are equal. Mahomes testing positive would have a much different impact on the Chiefs and the league than, say — and no offense here — Mike Remmers testing positive.
Mahomes is acting accordingly.
Just ask his parents.
“I told them that they’re probably not going to be able to see me (if they come to a game),” Mahomes said. “I’m probably just not going to be able to see them, just because I’m trying to keep myself safe, especially during the season so I limit my exposure in the biggest way possible.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.