Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes takes clear stance on sports betting: ‘I just stay away from it’

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs continue to prepare for a pivotal road test against the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs fell to 5-4 after a Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills and spent last week on a scheduled bye.

While the Chiefs enjoyed some time off, the sports betting scandals continued to make headlines. The hotly debated topic arose Wednesday when Mahomes met with reporters.

Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion, shared his approach to any activity even remotely related to the game.

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“I mean, they let us know. I mean, the NFL and the NFLPA tell us the different rules that you can and can’t do. I just stay away, I stay away from that, just because I don’t want to put myself in that position,” Mahomes said. “I mean, that’s something your life is so great, why mess with that?

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“And so I think, more than anything, for me, sometimes it gets weird when you have fans talking about it. Just because, you’re just trying to go out and live your life and play the game, and sometimes they get a lot more attached than the normal fan, because they have money on the line.

“And so, from me to them, I would just say, ‘Don’t do anything you can’t get back or can’t live without.’ And so, it’s a crazy world we live in these days, watching all these things happen. But I think you just focus on football and the sport you love and the reason you’re here, and you don’t have to worry about other things.”

Mahomes has not been accused of or associated in any way with improper sports betting.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones were among those arrested by the FBI as part of an investigation into illegal gambling and sports betting last month. The league subsequently placed Rozier on leave.

Authorities said the investigation had ties to members of the La Cosa Nostra crime family.

In July, Gilbert Arenas was arrested as part of an alleged illegal gambling ring. The Justice Department accused the former basketball star of operating the scheme from a home he owned in Southern California. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was later released on $50,000 bail.

In a late October memo, the NBA told its 30 teams that it had begun a review of how the league could protect the integrity of the game.

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In baseball, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on several counts alleging they manipulated bets on MLB games in which they played.

News’ Ryan Gaydos and Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.

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