NFL commissioner hits back at Mahomes after schedule change complaint

Chiefs beat Eagles to win Super Bowl – Andrew Gamble reports

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hit back at Patrick Mahomes while speaking at the Owner’s Meetings in Arizona after the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winner took aim at major changes to the league’s scheduling process.

Alterations have been made to the rulebook ahead of the new season, more notably an adjustment to the personal foul penalty. But changes have also been made to the NFL’s scheduling process, meaning teams can make a maximum of two appearances on Thursday Night Football, which up until now has only been one to allow the allocation to be fairly even among the 32 teams.

Mahomes voiced his displeasure at the schedule change, posting an emoji on Twitter of someone facepalming as he cringed at the news. Football on a Thursday is great for spectators, but for players it’s a much debated topic. Playing on a Sunday and then four days later could take its toll on players and risk injury. It does, however, allow for a 10-day lay-off after.

But Mahomes’ tweet caught the attention of NFL commissioner Goodell, who hit back at the Chiefs poster boy while speaking at the Owner’s Meetings held in Arizona. “I don’t think we’re putting Amazon over our players. …The data doesn’t show higher injury rate,” Goodell said. “I hear from players who also love the 10 days after a Thursday Night game. We have to try to balance all of it.”

It’s exactly two years since Amazon acquired rights to become the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football, which will start with the 2023 season. Their deal is set to last a decade.

The NFL is unlikely to back down. They didn’t when criticism came their way for extending the regular season. Tom Brady was one of the league’s biggest stars to voice his opposition.

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Mahomes, his Chiefs teammates and rivals will most likely have to deal with the change. And it’s likely that the Kansas City Chiefs will be one of the teams featuring twice.

The Chiefs are 4-1 in Thursday night games during Mahomes’ time as a starter, but the franchise quarterback infamously dislocated his kneecap during a Thursday night game in Denver during the 2019 season.

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