‘Not playing the rest of the game’: Coach Andy Reid threatened to bench Chiefs who watched Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show, Patrick Mahomes says
GLENDALE, ARIZONA: Rihanna’s mind-blowing Super Bowl half-time performance drew in a whopping 118.7 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, but surprisingly Kansas City Chiefs players were not among them. Head coach Andy Reid threatened to bench them if they watched the pop icon’s performance, quarterback Patrick Mahomes revealed.
The 27-year-old NFL star appeared on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' following his team’s epic win over the Philadelphia Eagles and revealed Reid was too determined to win their third Super Bowl Victory on Sunday, February 12. Mahomes stated that the head coach was adamant that none of his players sneak out of the locker room to go watch the 'Diamond' hitmaker perform, NY Post reported. “I didn’t [see any of it] but I heard it was great,” he said when Kimmel asked about Riri’s halftime show. “Coach Reid told us, If you go out to watch the performance, just keep walking ’cause you’re not playing the rest of the game.'”
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‘Everything we worked for is for this moment'
Mahomes added that he, Travis Kelce, and a few other "great leaders" in Kansas City's locker room gave the team a halftime pep talk instead of dancing along to Rihanna's hits. 'We just challenged each other, man, to leave everything out there, and I don't want to say we played tight in the first half, but you didn't see that same joy that we play with,' the quarterback said. "And I wanted guys to just know that everything we worked for is for this moment."
Apparently, Reid's ban on his players paid off well as Mahomes led his team to a comeback, despite a ten-point deficit in the second half. Chiefs’ epic 38-35 victory over the Eagles came on a 27-yard field goal by kicker Harrison Butker with 11 seconds remaining in the game. Mahomes, who suffered an aggravated ankle injury, was the star of the show and was honored with his second Lombardi, and MVP award. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in a season in which he led the league in passing yards.
When Evan McPherson ditched halftime pep talks
Players ditching halftime pep talks to enjoy the big Super Bowl extravaganzas is clearly not an uncommon sight. Last, Evan McPherson, a kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals, was seen watching Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and Eminem perform instead of accompanying his teammates in the locker room. McPherson was later slammed by his coaches but that was not enough as the Bengals eventually suffered a 23-20 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.