The president’s anecdote about Tommy Tuberville and Patrick Mahomes gets a fact-check on social media.
Critics are calling foul on President Donald Trump for an easily debunked claim about Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who will make his fifth Super Bowl appearance this weekend.
“And Tommy Tuberville, a great coach,” Trump said on Wednesday as he signed an executive order aimed at blocking trans student-athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.
Trump continued:
“You know, his quarterback was named Mahomes. He was a great college coach. And I said, ‘How good was he?’ He said, ‘You don’t want to know how good. He made me into a great coach.’ He’s a pretty good quarterback, right? Yeah, he was very good. He’s a good guy, too.”
Tuberville once coached at Texas Tech, where Mahomes played before entering the NFL.
But he never coached Mahomes.
In fact, Tuberville split for the University of Cincinnati in 2012 ― nearly two years before Mahomes’ first game for the Red Raiders in 2014.
Tuberville shared the story on X despite the fact that it’s not true:
Tuberville has in the past said he helped to recruit Mahomes for Texas Tech, but AL.com says that’s also false.
Fans were quick to offer up some fact-checks on social media:
Tuberville also coached Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods. Made them the men they were.
— Dave Hartman (@PigskinPapers)
February 6, 2025
He lies in the morning,He lies at nite.He lies when he’s snoring,He lies to a kite.He lies in the rain,He lies on his plane.He lies for the heck of it,He lies when he takes a shit.He lies when he tweets,He lies when he eats.He lies raking leaves,He lies as he breathes.
—
Joe Walsh (@walshfreedom.bsky.social)
2025-02-06T02:22:38.936Z
My favorite part of this is not that Tuberville never coached Mahomes but that Trump either fabricated that conversation with Tuberville or Tuberville pretended he did coach Mahomes. Either quite possible. https://t.co/ABOnEmnckA
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports)
February 6, 2025
I’ll never understand how every right-wing Southerner and rural American thinks this guy is like them. He doesn’t know sports, he’s never been hunting or fishing, he doesn’t like country music, he doesn’t like trucks, he doesn’t drink beer, he’s not a Christian and knows nothing about it, etc.
—
Clay Cooper (@tclaycooper.bsky.social)
2025-02-05T22:29:35.591Z
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