The past few years have brought upon many firsts for Patrick Mahomes: touchdowns leader, Pro Bowler, All-Pro, NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP and world champion, among them.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback added another big one to his list this week: voter.
He even went so far as joining forces with teammates to foot the bill so that Arrowhead Stadium was a polling destination.
"I thought it was very important," Mahomes said on the latest episode of the Huddle & Flow podcast with NFL Network's Steve Wyche and Jim Trotter. "Not only just to get as many people out to vote as possible, but also to use a place as Arrowhead, where we have a lot of fun, show a lot of love, a unity where people coming together and use that as a place where we can come together and vote and use our voice."
For the 25-year-old Mahomes, participating in the 2020 presidential election was also about completing an attempt he missed on previously. The former Texas Tech star registered in 2016 while in college but didn't finish the deed.
He acknowledged the past four years, in addition to being an expecting father, prompted him to practice his civic right this time around.
"I think you start to pay attention more and more of what's going on around you," Mahomes said. "And as you get older and as you mature and as the discussion and the talk has really become such a big ordeal, you really understand more and more of how it affects you every single day. And so I'm just glad that I had the opportunity that I can vote and can use my voice and in whatever way possible."
It's the next step in what has been an eventful year for the wunderkind QB. While effectually becoming one of the faces of the NFL, Mahomes has used his platform to serve as a spokesman for social justice. He's been outspoken on social media and in interviews about police brutality, including participating in a video alongside his NFL peers asserting "Black lives matter."
"I think I just got a little, you got tired of seeing it happen over and over again and nothing really changing," he said. "And as I've as I've gotten more and more of a platform, I understood that it just wasn't right. And I want to do whatever I could to make the world a better place. And for me, that first step was speaking out and using my voice and now it's to get as many people out to vote as possible."
As part of this year's NFL Votes campaign, half the league's 32 teams committed to using their stadiums and/or team facilities for election-related activities, while more than 90 percent of active players had registered to vote and several teams reported 100% player registrations prior to Election Day.
You can hear the full interview with Mahomes on the latest episode of the "Huddle & Flow" podcast hosted by Steve Wyche and Jim Trotter. Download it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider.
