Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ hometown of Whitehouse, Texas, is about 400 miles northeast of Uvalde — site of this week’s school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.
That wasn’t the only reason, though, that Mahomes said Tuesday’s events deeply affected him. “As a father now, it’s scary,” Mahomes said Thursday after the Chiefs’ third session of organized team activities (OTA) workouts.
“I mean, it’s scary for all of us. But whenever you’re taking your kids to school, and you want it to be a safe place, and stuff like this is happening day after day.”
Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, welcomed their first daughter, Sterling, in February 2021.
On Tuesday night, Mahomes offered prayers on social media to the family of the victims while including the message, “Has to stop man.”
Mahomes said Thursday he’d been in contact with people from his alma mater Texas Tech who had foundations planning to give back to families in Uvalde. He also was vocal Thursday about working to reduce these types of violent acts in the United States.
“We have to find a way as a nation that we can bring this ... I mean, it’s never going to be completely stopped, but lower the cases of all these people going out and shooting,” Mahomes said. “Especially these kids. I mean, they have no chance. They’re just living their life, trying to grow up.”
Mahomes reiterated that he hoped, as a country, that people would not become numb to incidents like Uvalde. “You don’t want to just be able to (say), ‘Oh, condolences,’ and all of a sudden, we’re practicing the next day like nothing happened,” Mahomes said.
“You want to make sure that we’re holding people accountable and that we do whatever the steps are. I don’t know the steps — I’m not gonna lie like I do — to try to minimize this as much as possible.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid opened his Thursday news conference with comments about the Uvalde shooting and one the previous week at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
“It’s a shame that that’s where things are at,” Reid said. “But I know through good people, we’ll get that all straightened out. Those families, again, our hearts go out to them.” Reid was later asked how much he believed professional coaches should use their platforms to speak out against violence.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, in particular, had an impassioned speech Tuesday about changing gun laws ahead of his team’s playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I think everybody has their own opinion. I think the bottom line is, it’s got to stop. And what can we do to help it stop?” Reid said. “I’m not sure I have the answer other than if we see signs of something, then as parents and as teachers or whomever, try to help that person out. Get them into a place where they can get things straight.
“But right now, there’s too many things happening up here in the cranial compartment that are killing people. Not good. Not good for whatever reason, it’s not good. It’s more than it’s ever been, and it’s got to stop.”
