The time in between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl can feel interminable—for fans, of course, but especially for players. Anything that can help a player’s mental state in the intervening weeks is a plus, and a compliment can go a long way toward boosting somebody’s state of mind.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes thought he received the ultimate ego boost from the biggest star of Super Bowl weekend. But, it turns out, he was led astray.
It all began when former NFL wideout Brandon Marshall—who now has a podcast called I Am Athlete—told Mahomes during a press conference on Wednesday that Rihanna called Mahomes the “greatest quarterback ever.” After Mahomes offered an appreciative response to that news, Marshall revealed that he made the whole thing up, much to the star quarterback’s chagrin.
On Thursday, though, Rihanna came to Mahomes’s rescue, admonishing Marshall for his nefarious ways and giving Mahomes some praise to build his confidence back up.
“That’s so mean. He is mean, O.K.,” Rihanna said. “I’m so sorry you went through that. I still think you’re great.”
Rihanna will get the chance to show her greatness on Super Bowl Sunday when she performs the halftime show in Glendale, Ariz. Perhaps she’ll dedicate a song to Marshall—maybe “Love the Way You Lie” or “Rude Boy.”
