Photo Credit: Getty Images
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has for the first time spoken about the emotional toll his father's arrest had on him. His father was arrested for driving while intoxicated just days before the 2024 Super Bowl. Speaking in ESPN's upcoming docuseries The Kingdom, Mahomes admitted, "It was during that Super Bowl week. It became a story and so I had to answer questions about it. I think just knowing that it hurt me, woke him up to know that like you can't keep doing the same things."
Patrick Mahomes Sr. was taken into custody in Tyler, Texas. Police reported that his car had expired registration, was moving unusually slowly, and contained an open can of beer. In arrest footage, he told officers, "I'm supposed to be going to the Super Bowl to watch my son play football, and this is what we're doing? ... My son is getting ready to play in the f**ng Super Bowl... now, this s's going to be on the news which is going to f*** with him."
Despite the off-field distraction, Mahomes went on to secure his third Super Bowl victory, leading the Chiefs to a 25-22 overtime win. His father attended the game but later called it "probably the most embarrassing thing that I've ever been through in my life." He revealed, "I called him right after. I said, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry that it's taken away from your time and focus.' I made a vow that he would never have to deal with anything because of drinking because of me. I haven't had a drink since then."
Mahomes Sr., who has prior DWI arrests in 2008 and 2019, pleaded guilty in August 2024, serving a 10-day jail sentence and beginning five years of probation under "intense supervision."
Brittany Mahomes, Patrick's wife, believes the arrest was a turning point for her father-in-law. "I think it finally hit him that, you know, 'I have my kids watching me, I have my grandkids now that are watching me.'"
Director Kristen Lappas, who interviewed both father and son for The Kingdom, said she was "surprised that his dad agreed to sit down" and be candid about his struggles, adding that his openness "allows you to understand Patrick in a different and new way."
For Mahomes, the most meaningful outcome is having his father present without the shadow of controversy. "For him to be there supporting me, that's really cool," he said. "Those moments are just moments that you won't ever get again."
