Just a year after announcing his surprising retirement at age 31, Kyle Long signed with the Kansas City Chiefs
ahead of the 2021 season. But as the former NFL guard prepared for a return to professional football, he had no idea he'd first have to accept a golf challenge from Super Bowl-winning duo Patrick Mahomes
and Travis Kelce
. And while Long welcomed the invitation from Mahomes and Kelce, little did he know he was about to face more than just a round of golf.
"Travis and Patrick were in a cart ahead of me. They teed off, and then I teed off. They went down the cart path on the left-hand side to get their ball," Long recalled. "And I guess at some point, they were like, 'Do you guys want to fuck with Kyle?' And Patrick must have slowed down, and I was literally looking down at my scorecard, writing in like six for the last hole or whatever.
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"And I ran into the back of their golf cart, and they both, on cue, simultaneously rolled out of the golf carts, holding their necks. And I was like, I saw two ghosts and my life flashed before my eyes because this is obviously the beginning of the greatness here of the Kansas City Chiefs. And I was like, 'I just broke the f***ing necks of two of the best players in the National Football League. And obviously, they jumped up, and they were fine, and they were laughing, but not funny. Not funny at all."
Long was at his parents' house at that time, preparing for his first season with the Chiefs after coming out of retirement, when he got the invitation to play golf. And let's just say the event went well, as Long admitted that both Kelce and Mahomes were "fantastic."
Meanwhile, the golf challenge was itself tough for the veteran NFL guard, and the reasoning was straightforward. Just a year before their meet-up, Patrick Mahomes had installed a practice complex in his backyard and also played in an actual tournament at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. Since making his debut at the championship, Mahomes has made four appearances so far.
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As for Kelce, the Chiefs' tight end has been competing in the championship longer than Mahomes. The veteran has competed in the past seven championships, but it's also worth noting that Mahomes can't stand playing golf with Kelce, having previously labeled him a bad influence.
"I'm going to stay away from Travis," Mahomes said about Kelce a couple of years ago, after playing with him at the Lake Tahoe American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. "He gets me off my game. He's a bad influence. By Day 3, I'm just like, I can't be with him for more than two days."
So it's safe to say that when they invited Kyle Long to play golf with them, the tough environment was obvious. But Long was also ready to face the challenges. He took to his social media handle and wrote, "Went low today," while sharing a gif, which read, "I won."
Patrick Mahomes responded with "Don't be trying to come in and take the top golf spot on the team…."
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As for Kyle, the former NFL snapper, he plays golf frequently and has also participated in celebrity golf and pro-am events, including playing with PGA Tour professional Maxx Homa. Back in 2022, during an appearance on Subpar, Long shared his experience with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz,
"It's a fun journey. It's just as frustrating as anything else in life. I'm married just over a year, I have a nearly five-month-old daughter. And the game of golf is new to me like, four years. I'm really taking it seriously now, and there's nothing in life that makes me more frustrated than golf. But there's also nothing in life that makes me get out of bed at 5 a.m. on vacation to sneak in a round before everyone else is awake.
"It was a great opportunity to see a really good dude who's a great player," he said about Homa.
The golf challenge with Mahomes and Kelce took place just a month after the Chiefs signed Long. However, the veteran injured his knee during the OTAs, and the Chiefs placed him on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). While Kansas City activated him in late November, Long failed to play a single snap for the Chiefs because of his injury complications. At the same time, Trey Smith had emerged as a talented guard for the Chiefs, essentially ending Long's career in the NFL.
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The post "My Life Flashed Before My Eyes": Travis Kelce & Patrick Mahomes' Golf Cart Incident Had Kyle Long Terrified, Until He Realized It Was a Prank
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