Baltimore Ravens Kicker Breaks Down Tense Pregame Exchange With Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

Ahmad Austin Jr.Jan 30th, 2024, 10:23 am
 

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker claims he did nothing out of the ordinary when he found himself in a heated altercation with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship between the two teams, players took the field to warm up. Problems arose when Tucker was seen stretching and getting ready to take practice kick just feet away from Mahomes, who was taking practice throws.

At first, Mahomes kept kicking and throwing Tucker’s equipment out of the way. Undeterred, Tucker simply placed it a little further away from the QB. As soon as he turned his back, however, Mahomes picked up and threw it again.

Then, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce got involved. While Tucker was stretching, Kelce walked up and threw Tucker’s kicking equipment and even his helmet. After clearing the area for his QB, Kelce simply jogged away to return to his pregame warm-up.

After the Chiefs beat the Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl, Tucker was asked about what went down between he and Mahomes. He seemed confused by the way the QB reacted.

“For those that don’t know, the way it works is each team’s kicker goes to the other team’s designated warm-up area on the field,” Tucker told the media, “and for me, it’s usually about 90 minutes before kickoff. I’ve been doing the exact same thing for 12 years. Never really had a problem with anybody. That’s just kinda the way we’ve always done it and the way kickers around the league have always done it.

“I saw Patrick back there trying to warm up and get some drop-backs, so he asked me while I was on the ground stretching if I could move my helmet. So, I happily got up and I moved my helmet out of the way — at least, I thought it was enough out of the way.”

When Kelce came over, Tucker chalked up their actions to a bit of psychological warfare.

“I just thought it was all just some gamesmanship, all in good fun,” Tucker continued, “but they seemed to be taking it a little bit more seriously. I’m totally willing to let it all go, but I just wanted to explain that. That’s just what I’ve done for 12 years and it’s not like I’m out there trying to be problematic. I’m just trying to get ready for the football game just like they are.”

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