Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is arguably the NFL’s brightest young star and is most definitely the future of the league.
That spotlight follows him off the field, too, where the 25-year-old has demonstrated he is not afraid to speak out on important issues and make an impact within the community.
With Election Day on Tuesday, Mahomes is one of dozens of athletes and artists who have teamed up with LeBron James’ More Than a Vote campaign to help combat voter suppression by educating and helping Black citizens register to vote.
“It’s a way for us as athletes to find ways to really help out the communities that are underserved and finding ways to vote and getting registered to vote and getting educated on how you’re able to do it,” he said Monday on Kansas City’s 610 Sports Radio’s “The Drive.”
“From my firsthand knowledge, it’s a lot harder than it sounds,” he continued. “It’s not like you can go online and sign a piece of paper. You have to get that stuff and get it detailed down, send in your registration form and get that stuff signed. You really want that to be something that’s easy and available for everybody and every community. Using this platform that we have, we’ve kinda came together and find ways to get different arenas and different stadiums as registration and voting and polls … and provide the resources that we can to get people registered so they can go out and vote tomorrow, Tuesday.”
Mahomes, who acknowledged he voted in Texas via absentee ballot, has joined a chorus of pro athletes over the last year that have become more outspoken on issues off the field.
Prior to the start of the season, he joined fellow NFL players in a video supportive of Black Lives Matter and demanding the league admit it erred in its response to peaceful protests in the past.
“You have to be comfortable with where you are in life,” Mahomes said about being vocal on social issues. “You have to be comfortable with the platform that you have. I think that as you mature and get older and see more different things and more different experiences you really start to form your own opinions and form your own stances on things.
“For me, it’s about to trying to be open as possible, trying to listen to as many people as possible and trying to do whatever I can to help out people and help out them in the best way possible.”
James’ work off the court in the NBA has become as much a part of his legacy as his accomplishments within the game, a trait Mahomes certainly admires and is beginning to fully recognize the impact someone like himself can have with his platform.
“I think I’m starting to understand it more and more, especially in this last year,” he said. “You love going out there playing, having fun ….but at the same time, you’re blessed to have this platform and I believe you’re given it for a reason, and that’s to help out people and to help out the world in the best way possible.”
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram