On Wednesday, word surfaced that Patrick Mahomes loves ketchup so much that he puts it on everything—even when he orders steak.
KetchupGate is drawing mixed responses.
If you haven’t been on social media much today or missed the memo for some other reason, Seth Wickersham of ESPN published a fine profile of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes on Wednesday that included several interesting anecdotes about K.C’s favorite son. However there was one paragraph that drew the confusion, ire and interest of many in Chiefs Kingdom.
Specifically, Wickersham unearthed this gem about Mahomes’ love for all things ketchup:
"More from Arrowhead AddictFormer Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las VegasChiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract newsChiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in GermanyPodcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battlesKC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching acceleratorThe other day, in Mahomes’ apartment in the Country Club Plaza neighborhood of Kansas City, his grandfather asked him, “What’s it like to be famous?” For one thing, it means he eats less ketchup. He spent most of his life putting ketchup on everything. He would get bottles of it for his birthday. But now that everyone is watching every move he makes, he is sheepish about ordering ketchup. At a restaurant recently, his mom, Randi, recognized an unfilled desire as he dove into a steak. “Just ask for it,” Randi said. “I know you want it.” Patrick wouldn’t. So she asked for the ketchup and slipped it to him."
Even Mahomes seems to know that putting ketchup on one’s steak has crossed a line. Somewhere, even if you don’t believe in some higher power, there’s a moral code at work, informing each of us who reaches a certain age of accountability that steak and ketchup is, at the very least an odd pairing.
But here’s the rub (pun intended): Mahomes putting the wrong condiment on his steak is akin to your significant other, the one that your friends still cannot believe you landed, doing such a thing. We’re not talking about your kid brother putting ketchup on anything edible. Instead, we’re talking about the face of the franchise, the chosen one, the frontrunner for MVP who just happens to be a first-year starting quarterback who has catapulted the Chiefs into the national conversation among NFL powers and dynamic teams.
An informal poll of fans on Twitter made it clear that no one was quite sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, it’s ketchup on steak (an automatic no). On the other, it’s Mahomes who can do anything he wants, right?
Are you concerned that Patrick Mahomes like ketchup on his steak?
— Matt Conner (@MattConnerAA) November 14, 2018
We recently asked a few staff writers to weigh in on KetchupGate and we got the same mixed results. For some, it was disgusting that a man so revered could stoop so low. Others were ready to start following in his footsteps with their next bite of steak. Here’s a sampling of Arrowhead Addict writers and their thoughts on the dilemma.
Drew Brooks: Ketchup is perhaps one of the most versatile condiments ever created. However, with great power comes great responsibility. There are a few simple guidelines to follow when using ketchup, but, over all others, the most important guideline is: never put ketchup on steak. Ever.
When I read the story that Patrick Mahomes puts ketchup on his steak, I have to admit, my heart sank for a moment. Just when I thought that our quarterback could do no wrong, this atrocity comes to light. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate ketchup—I love ketchup on fries—but ketchup on steak is inexcusable. I can see why he’s embarrassed to order ketchup in public.
Forget DeflateGate. KetchupGate is the biggest scandal of this decade, perhaps even this century. I have seriously doubted Mahomes heroism over this horror, however, I suppose all our heroes have their own faults—Superman tries too hard to fit in with the world and Batman can be overly obsessive. Despite his shocking crime, I am willing to turn a blind eye to Mahomes’ poor choice as long as he doesn’t ask for a well-done steak with his ketchup.
Ellen Tolsma: KetchupGate has me shook, Chiefs Kingdom. Our lord and savior, Patrick Mahomes, puts it on everything. EVERYTHING. I thought he was a god walking among us, but I am reminded that he is just a human. Seriously though, can we, as the members of Chiefs Kingdom, whose home is Kansas City, please remind our great leader that there are other condiments? He lives in Kansas City. Shouldn’t he be promoting that which bleeds through all our veins: BBQ? I am starting a petition to send Patrick BBQ sauce to open up his culinary mind.
Jacob Harris: Patrick can put whatever he wants on whatever he wants. Now, to be totally transparent, I don’t eat meat so it’s not like I have a hardened, unflinching stance on what steak plus ketchup equals. I can say when I did eat meat I didn’t dip my steak in ketchup, but I also never had strong feelings against it. Ketchup gets a bad rap, but it’s great. It’s overused, and if Patrick puts it on EVERYTHING he’s certainly guilty of that, but it’s also underrated.
To fully judge I’d need to know Patrick’s brand of choice because there is an obvious champion among the big brands: Heinz (particularly the Heinz Organic). If Patrick doesn’t already explore the world of artisan ketchup, consider this my invitation to introducing him to that side of the ketchup aisle.
Caleb Lucas: Here’s the thing. Obviously, a giant delicious bottle of ketchup reminds Pat of Andy Reid. We all get that, right? Maybe it’s me, but I feel like I enjoy a good Clint Eastwood flick because he terrifies me about as equally as my father does. Maybe Pat fears the Heinz. Maybe he’s scared of Andy. Either way, I asked this bottle of ketchup (pictured) what he thought of the situation. There was no comment.
Chris Taylor: Ketchup on steak? So we all finally found a flaw with Patty Mahomes. Perhaps it’s not his fault. Maybe the food was bland? The only way this is acceptable is if it’s spicy ketchup from Whataburger, otherwise, it’s a shame. I’ve now rescinded my invite to him for steak night. Still my quarterback.
Grant Tuttle: If Patrick Mahomes likes pizza with anchovies on it, it’s fine by me. If Pat enjoys store brand chips more than Doritos, I can dig it. If Mahomes like Peeps during Easter, I think that’s totally rad. If Patrick Mahomes likes ketchup on his steak, I have a new favorite way of eating steak. I have always been a fan of adding flavor to foods. In fact, my refrigerator is about 80 percent condiments.
Ketchup has always been amongst my favorite. It is almost as versatile as Dorian O’Daniel. Normally, I prefer barbecue sauce on chicken strips, but sometimes it’s nice to have ketchup as a change of pace. Ketchup is good on a lot of things because it is sweet and savory. It can also be its own kind of seasoning. In fact, a recipe for beef stew that I recently made called for an entire cup of it.
My love for ketchup has now been reinforced. I will be trying ketchup on my burritos and sandwiches. Ketchup on steak. Ketchup on my green beans. Ketchup on my Thanksgiving Turkey. If Pat loves ketchup, let it become my way of life.
Britt Zank: So the news of the day is that Patrick Mahomes II puts ketchup on basically anything, even his steaks. I’ve seen many on Twitter offering advice for young Mahomes, wanting to school him in the way of proper condiment allocation. I see this as different because if it’s one thing I know about Mahomes, it’s that he never makes a wrong read.
As a true believer and follower of Mahomesanity, I believe the only right thing is to buy stock in Heinz and Hunts and begin to stock my pantry. Some people may have their bread and wine; we now know the true path to Super Bowl salvation lies within steak and ketchup.