FACT CHECK: Did Patrick Mahomes Leave Training Camp Over The Kansas City Chiefs’ Name?

An image shared on Facebook claims Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left training camp and said he would “not play another down in the NFL” unless the team changed its name.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence that such an incident occurred or that Mahomes made such a demand. The Twitter account that made the claim later indicated the story was fake.

Fact Check:

The screen grab of the tweet from the Twitter user @UltraWeedHater started circulating amid news last week that the Cleveland Indians baseball team would change its name to the Cleveland Guardians.

The July 25 tweet reads, “BREAKING: Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has left training camp and says he ‘not play another down in the NFL’ until the team changes their name.” It cites ESPN sports reporter Adam Schefter as the alleged source of the information.

However, there is no evidence Schefter reported such a thing on ESPN’s website or on his verified Twitter account. Sports news outlets such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation and NBC Sports also have not published stories about Mahomes leaving training camp over the team’s name.

Mahomes didn’t make the comment about not playing “another down in the NFL” until his team changes its name in any of the recent press conferences he has participated in. The statement does not appear on his Facebook or Twitter account, either. Mahomes attended training camp on Wednesday, according to the Kansas City Chiefs’ official website.

Check Your Fact reached out to the Kansas City Chiefs for comment and will update this article if a response is provided. (RELATED: Did Patrick Mahomes Say, ‘I’ve Been Looking Forward To Meeting President Trump For A While’?)

The Twitter account @UltraWeedHater later sent a tweet indicating that the story was fake, saying, “Reminder that a large majority of people who fell for this tweet are allowed to vote.”

Reminder that a large majority of the people who fell for this tweet are allowed to vote. https://t.co/v06pz6NQze

— Barry McCockiner (@UltraWeedHater) July 26, 2021

Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan said recently that the organization will retire Warpaint, its horse mascot, but that the team doesn’t intend to change its name, according to CNN. The team is named after former Kansas City Mayor Harold Roe Bartle, who helped bring the franchise to the city and whose nickname was “The Chief,” the Kansas City Star reported.

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