KC Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy becomes first Texas Longhorn to score a Super Bowl TD in loss
KC Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy becomes first Texas Longhorn to score a Super Bowl TD in loss
It finally happened. A Texas Longhorn has scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. It has been an oddity for years that a Texas Ex has never scored a TD an any Super Bowl before Sunday. But that run is over after Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught a 24-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs first score late in the third quarter.
Worthy wasn't done either. With less than two left in the game, Mahomes let loose a 50-yard bomb to the former Longhorn for another TD. The touchdown was a footnote in a dominant 40-22 Philadelphia Eagles win in Super Bowl 59.
Worthy was arguably the best Chiefs player on offense. The NFL combine 40-yard dash record-holder finished the night with eight catches, two touchdowns and a game-high 157 yards. The 157 yards is also a career high for Worthy, who wraps up his first NFL postseason with 19 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
Worthy isn't the first Texas Ex to score in a Super Bowl. That honor went to Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker in Super Bowl 47, who scored 10 points on two field goals and four extra points. But Worthy is now the highest scoring Longhorn in Super Bowl history.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Once the NFL's most intimidating defender, James Harrison isn't the James Harrison you remember
Everywhere James Harrison went during Super Bowl week this year, he heard it. Fans yelled it at him as he walked to the New Orleans convention center from the Loews Hotel. Reporters asked him during interviews on radio row. NFL brothers Jerome Bettis, Nate Burleson, Cam Heyward, Deion Sanders all had the same query. Advertisement He must have been asked hundreds of times: 'Are you going to fight Chad Ochocinco?' Everything in his history said he would. In a photograph taken of him as a baby, Harrison's soft little fists are balled — and raised. When he played Pee Wee football, they called him Pitbull. At his high school, where racial tension burned hot, a fellow student mocked him. Harrison left hand marks around the kid's neck. In a separate incident, he tried to fight one of his assistant coaches. In the NFL, he was fined repeatedly for knockout blows, so he took on the league's commissioner, calling Roger Goodell a crook, puppet, devil, punk, dictator and a homosexual slur, among other things. His nickname with the Steelers was Deebo after the bully from 'Friday' known for his scowl. During a segment of 'Inside The NFL' last fall, Ochocinco — once body slammed by Harrison in a game — challenged his old nemesis to a fight. It seemed like a gag, but a bout was scheduled for Super Bowl week. It didn't happen; Harrison was healing from a meniscus repair. So during Super Bowl week, Harrison and Ochocinco met for an interview on the 'Nightcap' podcast. At one point, Ochocinco stood from his chair as if he wanted to take on Harrison right there. Ocho knows that if pushed, Harrison will not walk away. So Harrison wants to fight, right? His words say so. 'If he wanna fight, we gonna fight, baby,' he says. But his eyes? His eyes say this isn't the James Harrison you remember. Being the youngest of 14 children in a blended family provides some context for who Harrison became. 'You might have to fight for a few things if you're one of 14,' says Shawn 'Stretch' Armstead, a college teammate whom Harrison says knows him better than anyone except God. 'What he was taught in reference to survival might be different than what others were taught.' Advertisement From a young age, James revered his father, James Harrison Sr., whom the family called 'J.' A truck driver, J was said to be so strong he could spin and roll 55-gallon drums with one hand while taking a drag of a cigarette with the other. As a child, J tended to a farm before sunup, then walked 10 miles to school, passing four schools that wouldn't have him because he was Black. As an adult, he gave all of himself to his family, including the six who weren't his biological children. It was James' mom, Mildred, who had the heavy hand. When she snapped the belt, James sometimes ran to his father. Until he was 12, James knocked on his parents' bedroom door at night so he could sleep with them. Mildred would have none of it, but when she drifted off, J quietly let him in. Every Saturday, J and James went fishing. When one of James' Pee Wee coaches told his father that James wasn't practicing hard, J told him if he wasn't going to go 100 miles an hour, he couldn't play anymore. That was a turning point. Not long after, J told Mildred their son would play in the NFL. In high school, where Harrison was one of the very first Black students at Coventry High near Akron, Ohio, he was different from the others in ability and mentality in addition to skin color. A linebacker and running back, he had scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Nebraska, among others. Then came the suspensions. One was for trying to fight that coach. Another for using an obscene gesture in a game, which Harrison says was in response to a racial epithet. They might have been overlooked if not for the BB gun fight. It was, in his memory, typical high school horseplay. An assistant coach was involved, and several players in the locker room were shot with BBs, including Harrison, he says. But a parent was angry, and Harrison was blamed and charged with misdemeanor assault. The charge was reduced to disorderly conduct, to which he pleaded no contest. Advertisement His scholarship offers were rescinded. Kent State was still interested, but Harrison did not qualify academically, so he paid for his first two years and eventually made the team as a walk-on. By then, he had built a wall around himself. He could be bullheaded and resentful, according to Armstead. He didn't like to run and, admittedly, was poorly conditioned until his final year of college — 'I had wind issues, man,' he says. So despite 15 sacks in two seasons, Harrison was considered too surly and short at 6 feet, and no team dared draft him. In April 2002, he signed with the Steelers for a $4,000 signing bonus. Understanding the pro game did not come easily for Harrison, and he often dealt with his confusion by stopping in the middle of a practice rep, disrupting the entire team. If a coach dared scold him, Harrison gave him his famous glare — the furrowed brow and stare into the soul. He was equally tantalizing and infuriating, one of those prospects who keeps getting chances but not commitments. In September 2022, the Steelers released him. It was the first of three times he would be cut before ever playing a regular-season down in the NFL. In the summer of 2004, he was without a team, and football was looking like an impossible dream. He started planning an alternate future — climbing in the cab of a truck and making an honest living, like J. Then, as camp was about to start, the Steelers called. There had been an injury, and they needed another linebacker. It was one last shot, and he committed himself in a way he never had, removing the television from his dorm room and preparing 1,000 flashcards to learn the defense, studying alone long after most lights were out. In training camp, his preparation and power came together. On one play, guard Alan Faneca, then a veteran All-Pro, pulled. Harrison crashed into him with a collision as loud and startling as an old tree hitting the ground. Faneca staggered backward, Harrison darted to the ball carrier. His teammates looked at one another with wide eyes. Advertisement Harrison earned a roster spot and made his name on special teams. It wasn't long before Harrison began to live like he played — without brakes. Harrison raced his Suzuki GSX R-1000 at 195 miles per hour on I-76. Cruising speed, he says, was 130. Flashing lights didn't slow him either. 'If I pass you at 160, you're going to have to catch me at 160,' he says. 'I'd pull off, park my bike and have somebody bring me a change of clothes.' He followed the lead of his OGs from the restaurants to the nightclubs to the after-hours parties. They hit it hard until it was almost time for a 7 a.m. workout, which he did not miss. Vodka was his go-to, not for flavor but potency. 'I drank to get drunk,' he says. 'If I got into the club and the cats are already there, and I needed to get where they were, I need six shots. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.' He was at the center of his universe, and the only time that mattered was now. Promiscuity became a way of life. 'The more, the merrier,' Harrison says. The concept of saving money was beyond him. When he signed a three-year, $4 million deal with a $1 million signing bonus in 2005, he thought he was rich. After spending lavishly on partying, eating out, buying one house for himself and another house for his parents, cars for himself and his father, expensive rims and audio equipment, he realized he was almost broke. Then teammate Duce Staley showed Harrison one of his biweekly paychecks. The star running back made more in two weeks than Harrison's $225,000 yearly salary. In 2007, Harrison turned 29. He had never been an NFL starter. And then a revelation hit him with the kind of force with which he usually hit a flashy kick returner. 'I said I got to get right,' he says. 'It came down to the realization that I used my body to make money, and the longer I could have my body healthy, the longer I could make money.' Advertisement In 2007, Harrison stopped drinking for the most part. When pressured by teammates, he gave the bartender his credit card and told him to give him water disguised as vodka or tequila. 'I had them thinking I did 10 shots of tequila when I did 10 shots of water,' he says. 'They'd say, 'How you doing it?' I'd say, 'This is what I do, dude.'' He put together a team of specialists for naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, dry needling, cupping, IVs, chiropractic work and myofascial work — eventually he would spend up to $600,000 a year on health and recovery, paying for some of the specialists to travel to him regularly from Arizona, Detroit, Ohio and New York. Finally, he became a starter. Wearing wristbands that helped him remember assignments, Harrison had 8 1/2 sacks and seven forced fumbles for first-year head coach Mike Tomlin, making the first of five consecutive Pro Bowls. He was unlike any other pass rusher in the NFL. 'Being a short linebacker, he was like a bowling ball,' Steelers teammate Troy Polamalu says. 'Impossible to block.' 'It wasn't natural talent,' says former teammate and current ESPN commentator Ryan Clark. 'He didn't have the long arms, he wasn't running a 4.4 or 4.5 in the 40, he wasn't cat quick. Everything was tenacity, intimidation and an unstoppable belief that he was the baddest human on earth. 'There was so much that went into him being as great as he was that had nothing to do with the physical.' His effort, once questioned by his Pee Wee coach, became preternatural. Polamalu says Harrison, who wore a weighted vest in practice, may have been the hardest-working teammate he ever had. Harrison never wanted to come off the field, continuing to contribute on special teams long after he was an established starter. 'When you are cut as many times as he was, told you're not good enough as many times as he was, there's only one way you feel you can make it,' Clark says. 'He was inspiring with the way he worked before practice, after practice and the intensity he had during practice. Nobody did what James was willing to do.' Advertisement Harrison had 16 sacks in 2008, when he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history after intercepting a Kurt Warner pass in Super Bowl XL. Harrison improvised on the play, surprising Warner by dropping into coverage when he was supposed to rush. Then, at 276 pounds, he outran the entire Cardinals offense, going 100 yards before barely making it to the end zone, where he collapsed on his back. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau called it the most outstanding defensive play he's seen. 14 years ago today, @JHarrison9292 made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history with his 100-yard pick-6!#HereWeGo | #NFL — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 1, 2023 By then, Harrison was known as the most intimidating defender in the game and a classic representative of his franchise's ethos, a destroyer in the line of Ernie Stautner, Mean Joe Greene and Jack Lambert. In 2010, though, it became clear the edge he played with had two sides, and he began taking punishment as well as giving. They say intent can't be judged, but he didn't hide his. He was on record saying he wanted to tackle his opponents so violently that they couldn't play again that day. There were controversial hits to Vince Young, Mohamed Massaquoi, Drew Brees, Jason Campbell and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Harrison was teammates with Josh Cribbs at Kent State, but he laid him out so brutally that even Harrison's mother took exception, slapping him on the head. The NFL fined him $125,000 that season. Even as Harrison reigned as the most feared player in the NFL, he was becoming a loving father. Near the end of Harrison's breakout 2007 season, James III came along as a surprise. Harrison and the baby's mother, Beth Tibbott, wanted James III to have a sibling, so Henry was born two years later. Advertisement When James III was a baby, Harrison and Tibbott argued. Police said Harrison broke through her bedroom door, slapped her in the face and snapped her cell phone in half. An assault charge followed. He underwent anger management and psychological counseling. Tibbott, a criminal defense attorney who declined an interview request for this story through a representative, didn't want to pursue the case. Charges were dropped. 'It was a learning experience, God's plan,' Harrison says. 'Without that, maybe I don't become the person I am today. I wish it hadn't happened. If I were the man I am today, I would have de-escalated that real fast.' Being a father was never in Harrison's plans. He knew children require time and love, and feared what they could take from him. And take they did — over time, his selfishness was uprooted, replaced by responsibility, compromise, patience and purpose. 'His ability to empathize, love and soften — as much as James can soften — all came from being a father,' Clark says. 'He's still Deebo, though, and that's kind of cool.' Harrison is convinced he wouldn't be alive if not for his sons. When one of his kids says, 'I love you,' his response is, 'I love you more.' He has shown it partly by trying to provide for their future. Harrison became a saver and proprietor of residential real estate. 'I'm secondary to everything they have going on, and it's a blessing,' he says. James III, 17, is a football player who bears a resemblance to his father in personality and build. Lankier Henry, 15, also plays football and runs the 100-meter dash, long jumps and high jumps. The boys split time between Harrison and Tibbott's homes, but the four of them function as a family. 'We're all together,' Harrison says. That includes Henry's bearded dragon and James III's banana ball python, who recently escaped and went missing in Harrison's house for six months until Harrison found him. Advertisement He has drawn attention for his parenting style, which includes eschewing unearned awards and keeping no secrets. 'We give trophies for everything, and it makes kids feel entitled to getting something for doing nothing,' says Harrison, who auctioned off a Patriots AFC Championship Game ring after he played four games for them during the 2017 season. It had no value to him because he thought he didn't earn it. The ring had value to someone else, as it sold for $18,600. For most of his life, Harrison's faith had been like an oil reservoir — beneath the surface and untapped. As a child, he went to church on Easter and for funerals, that's it. He did it for his grandmother Willie Pearl Massey, whom he calls a 'holy roller.' When she died in 2004, he had prayer hands tattooed on his shoulder in her honor. His only prayers were before games with teammates, and then he did it selfishly, he says, to avoid injury. During training camp with the Steelers, Harrison's dorm room was across the hall from Polamalu's, and they spent a lot of time together. To Harrison's annoyance, their conversations were mostly about what Polamalu wanted to discuss — spiritual matters. Polamalu, a Greek Orthodox, had a red cross sewn on the back of his jersey. He told Harrison the sisters at the Nativity of Theotokos Monastery in Saxonburg, Pa., did it for him for his protection. Harrison asked him if the sisters would sew black crosses on the backs of his jerseys. They did. Polamalu started calling him 'Iakovos,' James in Greek. About two years ago, Harrison started wondering what his purpose was. Then he started going to church. Tibbott and the boys followed. The three of them were baptized. Harrison waited. The truth is, he was scared. 'You know what I was afraid of?' he says. 'I was afraid something was gonna come up out of me.' Finally, in August of last year, in a ceremony at Victory Family Church in Cranberry, Pa., with his mother, sons, Tibbott, Armstead and another friend in attendance, Harrison took the plunge. But instead of something coming out of him, something went into him. He calls it peace. Advertisement 'It's something I know I wouldn't have without that relationship,' he says. 'And the more I understand and build my relationship with (God), the more peaceful it is.' Now, Harrison calls Armstead and Polamalu to talk about his faith. Armstead says there is less ego, harshness and anger in his friend. Polamalu says Harrison is allowing more people to see what's beneath his shell. At 4 a.m., about the time he used to order his last vodka of the night, Harrison starts his day by reading a devotional, then posting it for his 1.4 million followers on Instagram and 432,000 followers on Facebook. 'I was going to stop posting them,' he says. 'Then there was a voice I heard. 'You need to do this — you don't know who it may help.'' Harrison believes he has discovered his purpose. But if his heart has softened, the rest of him has not. On his 44th birthday, Harrison loaded up 44 plates weighing 45 pounds each on the sled and moved 2,025 pounds as if he were returning a few shopping carts to the corral. On his 45th birthday, he bench-pressed 545 pounds. He may try to break that personal record in July. At 265 pounds, the 47-year-old Harrison looks no different from when he played. He thinks his jacket size is either a 52 or a 54. The tailors from the Pro Football Hall of Fame may make that determination someday. Harrison's superiority over about five years suggests he may one day be fitted for the gold jacket that inductees like Polamalu wear. 'At his peak, I don't think there was anybody more dominant in the history of the game,' Polamalu says. 'I might have to put Aaron Donald up there, too. But James was taking on sometimes four guys and still almost making a tackle.' When Harrison started his first NFL game 20 years ago, J told Mildred their son would be a Hall of Famer. J died in 2016, but James would like to make his dad proud one more time by wearing the jacket he believes he has earned. Advertisement What else is left? Harrison wants to see his sons grow up to be the kind of men his father was. He wants to hold their children. He would like to go further down the road he began walking last August when he was baptized. And step into a ring with Ochocinco? Twenty years ago, maybe even 10 years ago, he would have made Ocho rue every word and left him in 85 pieces. But things are different now. If Ocho keeps coming at Harrison, no doubt the Deebo will come out of him. But that doesn't mean he wants to fight. 'Dude,' he says. 'The older I get, let it go.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Patrick Mahomes' Mom Makes Personal Announcement on Wednesday
Patrick Mahomes' Mom Makes Personal Announcement on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. These days, Patrick Mahomes has been busy preparing for the upcoming season with the Kansas City Chiefs. The two-time All-Pro quarterback is looking to bounce back after what turned out to be an ultimately disappointing campaign that ended with the Chiefs' heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Advertisement Their 40-22 loss in the big game denied Mahomes and Co. a place in history. Instead of celebrating what would have been an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat, the Chiefs had to settle for second place after being outplayed by a determined Eagles side. Cheering for her son through the highs and the lows is Randi Mahomes, who is the mother of Patrick Mahomes. The 52-year-old has been a constant figure in the Chiefs QB's life, and they have been together through the ups and the downs--even way before Patrick Mahomes established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a game. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Raising a son who pursued his dreams of being a star athlete was not easy for Randi Mahomes. It was even more difficult for her after she divorced her husband, Patrick Mahomes Sr., in 2006. Patrick Mahomes was just 11 at that time, and his mom had to work multiple jobs to support him and his siblings as a sole provider. Advertisement Randi Mahomes is now sharing her parenthood journey with others. This is through her Sports Parent Academy, which, according to its website, is a "comprehensive e-course designed to guide parents raising young athletes through every stage." On Wednesday, Randi Mahomes took to Instagram to announce that her site is now live. "Just got back from the cruise--rested and ready. And guess what's finally here? The Sports Parent Academy--early access is LIVE!" she captioned her post. Randi Mahomes offers three tiers of her e-courses. They range from $597 for the Core Course to $4,999 for the VIP/Inner Circle package. However, all the courses are currently on sale by as much as 25% for the Earlybird Pricing rate. Advertisement Patrick Mahomes would not be where he is right now had it not been for his mom, and there is no doubt that he will be supporting her all the way in this latest venture. Related: Patrick Mahomes' Physical Appearance Draws Attention on Tuesday Related: Caitlin Clark Reacts to New Photos of Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes Related: Patrick Mahomes Shares Big Personal Announcement on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Patrick Mahomes Had No Words for Chiefs WR's Personal Message
Patrick Mahomes Had No Words for Chiefs WR's Personal Message originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is getting set for his ninth season in the NFL after falling just short in Super Bowl LIX. Advertisement Since 2018, Mahomes has led the Chiefs to five Super Bowl appearances, bringing home three Lombardi Trophies. His already Hall of Fame-worthy résumé also includes two MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVPs. Mahomes will have similar names to throw the ball to during the 2025 NFL season, including tight end Travis Kelce and wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice. Fellow wideout Hollywood Brown will also be staying in Kansas City for a second season after resigning on a one-year, $11 million deal. In 2024, his lone season with the Chiefs, Brown was only able to play two games, recording just nine catches for 91 yards. The former Ravens and Cardinals wideout missed a majority of the year after suffering a sternoclavicular posterior dislocation in the preseason. Advertisement Brown was able to play in each of Kansas City's three playoff games, but was productive, grabbing five catches for 50 yards. On Tuesday, Brown returned to Kansas City for the first day of the Chiefs' mandatory camp. After practice, he took to social media and made it clear he's ready for a comeback season. Brown's post also included numerous photos of himself at mini-camp. "Hope these voices in my head go quiet 🥷🏿🌪️," Brown wrote on Instagram. "This comeback is personal. It's an apology to myself." Mahomes showed his support for his wide receivers' comeback season by reposting the message on his Instagram Story. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick MahomesScreenshot from Patrick Mahomes' Instagram Story Before he joined the Chiefs in 2024, Brown spent five seasons in Baltimore and Arizona. His best season came in 2021 with the Ravens, recording a career-high 91 catches for a career-high 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. Advertisement The Chiefs will open the 2025 regular season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, facing the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, September 5. Related: Josh Allen Announces Decision on 2028 Olympics This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
