He’s ready, coach! Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will play in Super Bowl LV on Sunday, February 7, despite a recent concussion and toe injury.
On January 22, the 25-year-old cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking a big hit during a running play days earlier, and was approved to play against the Buffalo Bills. “Talking to all of the doctors and going through all of the testing, we have the belief that I’ll have no lingering effects and I’ll be able to go out there and be who I am,” Patrick said after completing the protocol, according to ESPN.
“You have to take it day by day. That’s the best thing. You can only control what you can control,” he added. “For me, that was coming in every day with a positive attitude, try to make myself better, try to prepare myself as if I was going to play. Luckily enough, I haven’t had any symptoms and I’m able to play.”
The Texas native has been battling a turf toe injury throughout the postseason, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He will reportedly undergo surgery for the ailment — a sprain of the big toe joint resulting from injury during sports activities — but not until after seeing a specialist following the biggest game of the season.
“Having these two weeks to let it rest and heal up,” Patrick told NFL.com about his toe this week. “Especially being almost three weeks, over three weeks away from the injury itself. If you look at those type of injuries, that kind of gives you the normal timeline. Definitely every single day that I get to rest it, makes it better.”
The athlete and his fiancée, Brittany Matthews, met while attending Whitehouse High School together in their native Texas. Initially, they were just pals. “He just became one of my best friends, like all of his other friends were,” Brittany, 25, previously dished via Instagram. “I never liked him, we were just best friends.” Their friendship turned romantic toward the end of high school and they have been going strong ever since.
The couple got engaged in September 2020, and by the end of the month, the personal trainer revealed she was pregnant. “Mom [and] Dad, taking a small detour to the wedding,” Brittany gushed alongside two Instagram photos of the happy couple showing off their ultrasound images.