Is something rotten at the heart of the Kansas City Chiefs? | Melissa Jacobs

TThe hype is both manufactured and real. A new NFL season is fast approaching, and the sights and smells of hope are intoxicating. No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams is coming off one sensational series in the first quarter of the first preseason game, and Bears fans are already having amnesia when it comes to the franchise’s long history of disappointing signal-callers. Maybe Williams shall could be the next Patrick Mahomes – he really looked like a top player.

But for now, and until he stops playing quarterback at a level in a different stratosphere than everyone else, Mahomes is the undisputed face of the NFL. And the Kansas City Chiefs, with their ticket to the Super Bowl every year, are the gold standard of NFL organizations. Jolly Andy Reid, once underrated but crafty as hell, is the face of the league’s coaching staff. And of course, Travis Kelce is the face of the NFL for Swifties new to the game or anyone who cares about celebrity gossip.

Until proven otherwise, Kansas City remains the epicenter of the NFL, home to the best of the best. What’s not to love? Mahomes, Reid and Kelce are an extremely likable trifecta. They each bring a different flair, and together they’re an undeniable force.

But beneath the Super Bowl wins and the coaching records and the paparazzi swooning over the Kelce-Swift relationship is another story. A different Kansas City Chiefs that is pretty dirty in its inaction. The Chiefs’ tumultuous offseason has been well-documented.

Most notably, breakout wide receiver Rashee Rice faces eight counts of aggravated assault after his 119 mph street race caused a six-car crash. He also left the scene of the crime.

Former defenseman Isaiah Bruggs was charged with a felony count of animal cruelty. A month later, he was charged with second-degree burglary and domestic battery.

Kicker Harrison Butker gave a powerful speech at his graduation ceremony, in which he railed against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and told several female graduates that they were more excited about motherhood than a career.

And that’s without even mentioning offensive lineman Wanya Morris and Chukwuebuka Godrick, who were charged with marijuana possession.

Only Bruggs, the professional, was released. Rather than condemn Butker’s speech, which many found offensive, Reid became defensive when a reporter suggested that Butker spoke ill of women.

“I don’t think he was badmouthing women, but he has opinions and we all respect those. I brought you guys into this room, and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like,” Reid snapped back at a press conference in May. It’s one thing to defend your players, but cowardly to ignore a message that many see as emblematic of toxic masculinity.

Instead of meaningfully condemning their homophobic kicker, the Chiefs rewarded Butker with a four-year, $25.6 million extension. He’s now the NFL’s best pad kicker. When you make 94.3 percent of your field goals, it doesn’t matter who you offend.

This off-season was no accident. The Chiefs under Reid have a pretty sordid history of ignoring off-field issues.

The night after Tyreek Hill was arrested for trying to strangle his pregnant girlfriend, Oklahoma State cut him from the team. A year later, the Chiefs welcomed him back with open arms after he ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. “We found every rock we could find, and we’re very comfortable with that,” Reid said at the time. A few years later, Hill was investigated for his 3-year-old son’s broken arm.

Hill is certainly no exception. The Chiefs signed punishing linebacker Frank Clark in 2019, who had been fired from Michigan due to his own domestic violence issues. Shortly thereafter, the team loaded up linebackers and accused abusers after adding Terrell Suggs for the playoff run. Suggs had already been legally accused of abuse three times.

These are the same Chiefs who failed to address the alleged assault of Kareem Hunt in an Ohio hotel. It was only after TMZ released video confirming the incident that the Chiefs released the troubled rusher.

The Chiefs’ troubling history of ignoring controversy certainly predates Reid. But when Reid was hired as head coach on Jan. 4, 2013, only a month had passed since Jovan Belcher murdered his 22-year-old girlfriend and then committed suicide in the Chiefs’ parking lot. The first few months of Reid’s tenure were a time of deep emotional healing. It was also an opportunity for a fresh start in the way the team managed players with mental health issues and violent pasts. Instead, the organization chose a different route.

But hey, they’ve been a fixture in the playoffs and have won three Super Bowls since then, so why mess with that formula?

The Chiefs, in their dynasty era, are a different animal than the NFL’s most recent dominant team. They’re likable because their biggest names are deceptive. Conversely, the faces of the New England Patriots were largely hated by everyone outside the Northeast. Tom Brady and Bill Belchick were long branded cheats, and owner Robert Kraft was accused of soliciting prostitution. Only after the dynasty fell apart did they become likable. Well, maybe only Brady.

In many ways, the Chiefs are a microcosm for a league that has long operated under the mantra of “talent trumps problems.” It’s an ethos that lurks amid all the great community service projects and players who genuinely use their platforms for good. Yet the Chiefs have a special place when it comes to tolerating bad behavior. We turn a blind eye to the history of the Chiefs, who turn a blind eye because they’re winners. Their stars are larger than life, who can throw the most jaw-dropping passes or perform the hand of a heart to the world’s most famous singer or wear Hawaiian jerseys and compete against the best of them.

Ideally, the Chiefs, with their current position as NFL royalty, would set the standard for judgment when it comes to player selection. Show us that you can win without a few bad guys on the roster. But it feels like we’ve become complacent and accept what the Chiefs give us as long as they keep winning. Does that say more about our priorities as NFL fans or the Chiefs?

Seriously, are more fans upset about Rice’s aggressive driving or how Rice’s impending suspension might affect the team’s receiver depth? Were more fans triggered by Butker’s idiotic comments or Kadarius Toney’s drops last season? We know what the organization is thinking.

In the second annual NFLPA survey released in February, Clark Hunt was named the league’s worst owner. Players noted his failure to improve locker rooms and team facilities in general. The nutritionist also received an F for not being there often or not producing enough individual meal plans. The training staff also received an F, and the team’s travel and strength coaching leave much to be desired. If only that’s where the Chiefs’ culture ails.