KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ star keeps on rising.
On Tuesday, Mahomes was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
In 2019, he established his foundation, 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, which has placed an emphasis on improving the lives of children with a continued focus on supporting health, wellness, and various communities in need of resources.
To date, nearly $2.75 million in grants has been distributed by the foundation.
Mahomes said he knew about his nomination a few weeks ago and had it announced at the foundation’s annual gala on Tuesday night.
15 and the Mahomies Foundation also garnered over $400,000 in grants that were awarded to over 25 charities in KC at the gala as well.
“It’s such a prestigious honor for this organization especially to give back to the community that gives us so much,” Mahomes said. “There’s so many deserving guys on our team so for me to have my turn this year is something that I’ll hold for the rest of my life.”
He said the foundation is bigger than he dreamed of it being.
“I think that that goes to the people that I have around me and the people in the communities that have brought me up. They’ve been willing to give back and help me kind of follow this dream of giving back to the communities that help me out so much and it takes everybody,” Mahomes said.
“It’s not just me. I’m kind of the face of it, but there’s so many people behind the scenes that make this thing go. And the community – like I said, in Kansas City and Tyler, Texas and Lubbock, Texas – that have donated their time, their money, whatever it is, to make this foundation become what it is. It’s truly special and something.”
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback also said it’s hard to be the face of the franchise, but he gives all the thanks to the team around him.
Mahomes said he can’t do any of it without the help of his family.
“It takes Brittany being at home with the babies and taking care of them throughout the day, making it easy when I come home, they’re all happy and ready to see me – I get the easy part of it. It takes my family being behind me, supporting me.
“(It) takes some people – like (the) culture like I have here in Kansas City to where I can come in and be myself, have this personality that I have. It’s hard. I mean it’s for I think anybody when you have this much pressure on you every single day to go out there and be your best, but when you put the right people around yourself, you can just enjoy it,” Mahomes said.
“I think that’s what I try to do every single day – is understand that it’s a pressure and it’s a hard opportunity, but you’re blessed to have it, so you have to enjoy it every single day. And when I stop enjoying it, I think that’s when I’ll walk away, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.”
Although Mahomes is from Texas, he said he forever has a home in Kansas City.
“I’m building a house here. I’m going to be here for a long time. I always will have a house in Kansas City, and I think that’s just because I appreciate the people so much and how they’ve taken my family in and made it a part of this community,” Mahomes said.
“And I think you all know I mean this community is special. And I’ll always (will) have that Texan in me a little bit, but the Kansas Citian is definitely something I’m proud of.”
