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For a hot second, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes thought pop singer Rihanna had mad respect for him when a mischievous reporter convinced him so.
But then his moment of bliss caught on camera all but shattered in one fell swoop when the reporter came clean about his prank.
Mahomes and his teammates will be facing off with the Philadelphia Eagles in what will be the 27-year-old athlete's third Super Bowl appearance.
Rihanna will dominate the field at halftime.
The pop diva known for songs like "Umbrella" and "Shut Up and Drive" recently admitted her upcoming Halftime show this Sunday was "almost impossible."
"It’s a lot of preparation," she said. "[it’s] a lot of moving parts."
"It’s literally, like, 300 to 400 people breaking the stage down and building it back up and getting it out in eight minutes."
"It’s incredible. It’s almost impossible.”
On Wednesday, former NFL receiver and co-host of the I Am Athlete podcast Brandon Marshall pranked Mahomes saying Rihanna declared Mahomes was "the greatest quarterback ever."
The Super Bowl MVP who led the Chiefs to five consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances from the 2018 season through the 2022 season gushed on the spot.
"How does that make you feel?" asked Marshall, to which Mahomes humbly replied:
“It makes you feel great."
The Chief's Twitter account shared the clip of their star playing getting played, saying:
"How you gonna do our quarterback like that?"
\u201cHow you gonna do our quarterback like that? \ud83d\ude02\n\n@PatrickMahomes | #SBLVII\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
In the video, a still unaware Mahomes added the singer was "gonna crush it at halftime."
"I have family members that I think are more excited about the halftime show than they are the game."
"So whatever Rihanna says is like the gospel, so I’m glad she went with me for that honor.”
That was when Marshall burst the bubble.
"She didn’t,” Marshall quipped.
“I was just messing with you.”
Fans felt the pain.
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes That wasn\u2019t cool. @PatrickMahomes played it off & responded in MVP fashion.\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes This man has just woken up and this reporter does this to him? Man\u2026 Not cool. \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes Shouldn't do our QB like that!! But in all honesty... his response to this guys question was outstanding!! He always knows what to say and says it with heart!!\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
Though he felt let down, Mahomes remained a good sport about it and commented:
“Ah, man, you got me up here smiling and smirking."
People responded well to him coming off as an all-around good guy with his reaction.
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes Just a nice guy and a great player #ChiefsKingdom \ud83d\udc4d\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes You know what, it was a gracious answer to a sneaky question and his response after was also gracious. \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f Not sure why reporters are out here asking those kinds of trick questions, but @PatrickMahomes handled it well.\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes Patrick is a man of class and a man of excellence great recovery from a trick question (not fair reporter) Patrick you\u2019re very blessed and highly favored and we are super proud of all your success \ud83c\udfc8\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes We are all watching greatness with Patrick Mahomes \u2b50\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes There is no way anybody cannot like Pat. He is so authentic and like-able\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes A true man. Not one word about himself. About the organization , about the team around him and expecting himself to do his best for them.\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
People asked if Rihanna had a comment.
Including Marshall who confessed his trickery to the Barbadian singer.
Rihanna passed a message on to Mahomes in response.
"I still think you're great."
\u201c\u201cI still think you\u2019re great. He\u2019s [@BMarshall] a hater.\u201d\n\nOn Wednesday, Brandon Marshall pranked Patrick Mahomes at #SUPERBOWL media availability \ud83e\udd23\n\nOn Thursday, Rihanna set the record straight \ud83d\udc51\u201d— I AM ATHLETE (@I AM ATHLETE) 1675975210
Marshall followed up with a legitimate question and asked Mahomes:
"What are you chasing?"
Mahomes expressed he didn't want any regrets after stepping off the field.
He acknowledged how lucky he was to be a part of the NFL and playing alongside future "hall-of-famers."
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes He is the most gracious person on the planet\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
\u201c@Chiefs @PatrickMahomes How can you not love @PatrickMahomes he\u2019s the most humble man and best to do it\u2728\u201d— Kansas City Chiefs (@Kansas City Chiefs) 1675876613
When he eventually looks back on his career, Mahomes said he wants to be able to "know that I gave everything on that football field."
It sounds like he's already on his way to greatness.