Patrick Mahomes and his north-Texas twang fell into the crosshairs of Nike this week as the apparel giant and NFL partner congratulated the Philadelphia Eagles for beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Mahomes does not appear in the ad, which includes Eagles footage from throughout their championship season, nor is he directly referenced.
Instead, the advertisement appears to poke fun at Mahomes by using John Henson’s immortal Muppets character, Kermit the Frog, and his cherished song: ‘Bein’ Green.’
Of course, the ad could just be a harmless reference to the Eagles’ color scheme. And the fact that Nike posted the ad on social media alongside the caption ‘It’s Good to be Green’ certainly supports that line of thinking.
But football fans are all too aware that Kermit is Mahomes’ vocal doppelganger. Even the Chiefs quarterback was forced to acknowledge the joke during training camp when video surfaced of Las Vegas Raiders dressing a Kermit puppet in a miniature Mahomes jersey. At the time, Mahomes dismissed the talk, saying: ‘Stuff like that happens.’
Nike did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for clarification, but many football fans have already made up their minds.
Patrick Mahomes and his north-Texas twang fell into the crosshairs of Nike this week as the apparel giant and NFL partner congratulated the Philadelphia Eagles
The Nike spot included ‘Bein’ Green’ as sung by Mahomes’ vocal doppelganger, Kermit
Las Vegas Raiders fan ‘Vegas’ Ralph Sotelo of Nevada dressed as Kermit the Frog wearing a Patrick Mahomes jersey holds a Kermit the Frog puppet in the stands before a game
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‘I’m in tears for the sentiment and in tears at the absolute roast of paddy,’ one fan wrote on Instagram.
‘Using Kermit for this was diabolical,’ another added.
‘Using KERMIT’s VOICE IS THE NASTIEST OF WORKS!’ one fan responded. ‘Knowing he sound like Pat Mahomes! just know Nike got villainous collaborations in the works.’
Obviously this is a difficult time for Mahomes, who failed in his attempt to guide the Chiefs to the first threepeat in Super Bowl history.
The three-time Super Bowl MVP completed 21 of 32 pᴀsses for three touchdowns and a pair of picks, but spent much of the night dodging a ferocious Eagles pᴀss rush.
Without much – if any – blitzing, Philadelphia still managed to generate significant pressure leading to six sacks and a least one of Mahomes’ two interceptions, one of which was returned by Cooper DeJean for a touchdown.
A distraught Mahomes took the blame for Sunday’s loss on X, writing: ‘I let y’all down today. I’ll always continue to work and try and learn and be better for it.’
Mahomes went on to thank ‘God for every opportunity he has given me,’ before adding, ‘we will be back.’
