Cincinnati’s mayor should be embarrassed — and apologize directly to Patrick Mahomes | Opinion

In Kansas City, you don’t come for Patrick Mahomes. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval owes our town’s star quarterback a public apology for awkwardly joking that Bengals rising star quarterback Joe Burrow is Mahomes’ father. The elder Patrick Lavon Mahomes will have a word, Mayor Pureval. And take several seats, would you?

On Sunday, after the Chiefs’ gritty 23-20 win over the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium, Mahomes’ teammate, tight end Travis Kelce, set Pureval straight.

“Hey, I’ve got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor,” Kelce told a national audience. “Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!”

That term is used to describe a “stupid, foolish or contemptible person,” according to dictionary.com. Pureval is the city’s first Asian American mayor. He is well-liked, popular and probably a fine public servant. But yeah, Kels, you tell ‘em.

To his credit, Pureval owned his terrible attempt at humor. Over the weekend, he apologized on social media to Bengals fans, and acknowledged he probably deserved the scorn of Kelce and Chiefs Kingdom.

“Yeah. Deserved that,” he wrote on Twitter in response to Kelce’s diss. “Congrats to KC on a well-fought win, and good luck in Arizona. Proud of our fans and our @bengals for the energy all year. Who Dey!”

But where’s the apology to Mahomes? It should have come before Sunday’s game. You don’t joke about someone’s paternity, even during the buildup to a game between budding rivals from two world-class cities and organizations.

Pureval should extend an olive branch to all Kansas Citians for his disrespect to the city and its star signal caller. The ill-fated hype video he released Friday fell flat. We watched the cringeworthy 58-second video with utter amazement. The jabs at Kansas City and Mahomes, read from a prepared speech, were inappropriate.

“Be it proclaimed that the Cincinnati Bengals are headed to ‘Burrowhead Stadium’ for their second consecutive AFC Championship Game,” Pureval said in a video posted to his Twitter account. “Whereas Joseph Lee Burrow, who is 3-0 against Mahomes, has been asked by officials to take a paternity test confirming whether or not he’s his father. … And whereas Kansas City is named after its neighboring state, which is, you know, just kind of weird.”

Make that 3-1. After defeating their newfound nemesis, the Chiefs are headed to Super Bowl LVII Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

Pureval should be embarrassed. Here’s a brief history lesson: Yes, Kansas City, Missouri, took its name from the Kansas River. But Kansas City was incorporated in 1853, eight years before Kansas became the Union’s 34th state. Originally called the City of Kansas, it became Kansas City in 1889.

For generations, Kansas and Missouri fought over slavery, tax breaks, sports and politics. Heard of the Civil War, or the pro-Confederate bushwhackers from Missouri known as Quantrill’s Raiders? Does the anti-slavery guerrilla group the Jayhawkers ring a bell for Mayor Pureval? Maybe not.

Missouri is often referred to as the Show-Me State for a reason. From St. Louis to Columbia to Kansas City, the mantra is well known. Cincinnati’s talkative mayor erred by poking the Chiefs and its fan base.

No, Arrowhead Stadium isn’t “Burrowhead Stadium.” Before Sunday, Burrow was undefeated at the Chiefs’ home field. No longer. A very good quarterback in his own right, Burrow doesn’t own Mahomes.

Not only did the mayor of Cincinnati insult Mahomes and his family — he thumbed his nose at all of Kansas City. After all the backlash, we’re still waiting on Pureval to make full amends.

It’s one thing to joke about the origins of how the city got its name. You cross a line when you wisecrack about Mahomes, his father and DNA tests.