Patrick Mahomes turned an ordinary Mavericks visit into an emotional moment for a grieving Chiefs fan(Image via Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes had already become one of the NFL’s biggest names by the summer of 2019. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback met a fan who had lost several close relatives within a year. He told the quarterback that he had lost several close relatives over the previous year.
“Patrick, like, tears up,” Stroupe said. For Stroupe, that response said a lot about how naturally the Chiefs star understood other people’s feelings. “What that moment meant to (the fan), Patrick is intelligent enough to recognize that immediately,” he said.
But a visit to the Dallas Mavericks that year gave people a glimpse of something beyond his football skills. What started as an ordinary interaction turned emotional when the man opened up about his struggles and explained how watching Mahomes and the Chiefs had helped him get through the difficult period. Mahomes was in Fort Worth, Texas, training with his longtime personal trainer Bobby Stroupe and his APEC group. During the visit, he got to meet NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki. However, another encounter ended up becoming one of the most memorable parts of the day. A Chiefs fan working at the Mavericks’ pro shop was too shy to approach the quarterback. Mahomes noticed him and decided to make the first move. The fan wore Chiefs gear and started crying almost immediately when Mahomes approached him. Following the losses, watching the Chiefs play had become a source of comfort and helped him keep his spirits up. “All this stuff going on, he locked in with this young man, giving him everything he had until the kid didn’t know what to say any more. The encounter also stayed with the quarterback. When asked about it months later, Mahomes remembered the moment immediately. He had seen his personality develop over the years and believed empathy was one of his strongest qualities.
Stroupe had worked with Mahomes since fourth grade, long before the quarterback became an NFL MVP.
For the grieving fan, that conversation offered a personal moment with the player whose team had helped him through a year of loss. And for those who knew Mahomes, it was another example of why his impact in Kansas City extended well beyond the football field.