Claim:
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes rejected a $10 million offer from Elon Musk.
Context
Elon Musk did not publicly offer Mahomes $10 million in the first place.
Beginning on March 26, 2025, a rumor that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes rejected a $10 million offer from tech billionaire Elon Musk spread on Facebook, with one post (archived) racking up more than 14,000 reactions, as of this writing.
The post linked to an article on the site atulu.com, where the rumor appears to have originated. The article claimed that Musk posted on X: "Patrick Mahomes has redefined the game of football. I stand with you, Patrick," to which Mahomes allegedly responded, "Keep it and spend it on something that actually helps people."
This interaction never occurred, and there is no evidence Musk donated $10 million to Mahomes. Because of this, the claim is false.
(x.com)
If Musk did make such a donation, major news outlets also would have reported it. Google search results from March 28, 2025, show that no reputable outlet confirmed this rumor.
(Google.com)
The article began:
Tech mogul and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk made headlines when he offered a remarkable $10 million donation. The offer came in response to the ongoing discussions surrounding the future of football and the growing influence of Patrick Mahomes' legacy, particularly his impact on both the NFL and youth development through his football program.
Musk, known for his larger-than-life persona and his passion for supporting innovative causes, expressed his admiration for Mahomes' leadership both on and off the field. "Patrick Mahomes has redefined the game of football," Musk tweeted. "I stand with you, Patrick."
Artificial intelligence-detection software Hive determined that the text was 99.8% likely to be AI-generated.
(Hive.com)