Latest news with #FridayNight5GLights
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Patrick Mahomes hopes Trey Hendrickson gets paid... but maybe by another team
Cincinnati Bengals superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson is still waiting on his new contract, and he's got one fellow NFL superstar hoping he gets paid soon. FTW spoke to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in June as part of his new partnership with T-Mobile for its Friday Night 5G Lights initiative, and he mentioned Hendrickson as his pick for an underrated player he loved getting to play against in the NFL. He also mentioned Hendrickson's contract negotiations with Cincinnati and shared he's pulling for him to get his next big career windfall. "I would say he was underrated at the time; he's not anymore," Mahomes shared, "Trey Hendrickson and going up against him over my time, with the Bengals. I think no one really talked about him until these last year and a half, and obviously [there's] the contract stuff he has going now, but that dude is just a straight beast. "I remember playing him when he was in New Orleans with the Saints, and then playing against him now in Cincinnati. I mean, he is as good as advertised. He gets some hype I think now, but I don't think people really, truly understand the impact he has on the football game." Hendrickson's future in Cincinnati is still uncertain, but it sure sounds like Mahomes hopes he gets paid... and maybe by a team that doesn't play the Chiefs so regularly. "Hopefully, he gets his contract, but hopefully, maybe it's not with Cincinnati," Mahomes joked. "I think it would help me out a little but if I wasn't playing that guy every single year. but he's a great competitor, man. He's always fun to go up against."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
T-Mobile Takes Friday Night 5G Lights to a Whole. New. Level: More Winners, More Ways to Win and $4M in Total Prizes Up for Grabs
The Un-carrier's nationwide competition to level the playing field for small towns returns with Patrick Mahomes and Rob Gronkowski rallying high schools to share their stories for a chance to win a game-changing football field makeover BELLEVUE, Wash., July 17, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today announced the return of Friday Night 5G Lights, the game-changing competition turning high school football into a nationwide celebration of hometown pride. Last season, nearly 1,750 high schools from all 50 states brought unmatched energy and creativity, rallying their communities and the nation. Magenta was everywhere — football jerseys, signs and even hair — as small towns nationwide repped T-Mobile and showed off their school spirit on and off the field. Students called on celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Jamie Lee Curtis and Matthew McConaughey to hype up their schools. Entire towns packed stands, cheering their hearts out. Millions of votes poured in. In the small town of Inola, Oklahoma, home to less than 2,000 people, students at Inola High School hustled so hard, they called every other school in the state (that's over 1,700!) and even traveled to Oklahoma City to drum up support, ultimately winning the grand prize. After a wildly successful debut, the 2025 season promises to be even bigger, with more winners, more prizes and more chances for small towns to shine on a national stage. "Last year, we saw what happens when small towns get the spotlight they deserve, and the response blew us away," said Jon Freier, President, T-Mobile Consumer Group. "So this year, we're turning it up. We're shining a bigger spotlight with Friday Night 5G Lights so more communities can share what makes them special and get the support they need to bring their vision to life." This year's competition is putting over $4 million in total prizes on the line: 450 schools will win $5,000 through weekly $5K Fridays giveaways. 25 finalists will each score $25,000 for their football programs. 1 lucky finalist will win "Fan Favorite" as voted on by T-Mobile employees to receive an extra $25,000. 1 grand prize winner will receive a $1 million football field upgrade, a renovated weight room from Gronk Fitness, a consultation with stadium experience experts, an all-expense-paid trip to the SEC Championship Game for select school officials and students and a tailgate party revealing the finalized upgrades in 2026. Whew! Beyond the competition, T-Mobile customers can get in on the action and score a Friday Night 5G Lights water bottle on July 29 and a stadium bag on Aug. 26 through T-Mobile Tuesdays. Super Bowl Legends Champion the Competition To help make this year's competition even louder and prouder, three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the fun alongside returning ambassador Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski, as well as top college athletes and high school football heroes. "Growing up in a small town in Texas, I know what high school football means to these communities and how much love the players, parents and fans have for the game," said Mahomes. "This competition is all about recognizing that heart and giving these communities the kind of support they deserve." "Friday nights are about so much more than just football to small towns. They're about community, tradition and pride," said Gronkowski, four-time Super Bowl champ. "We saw so much passion and dedication last year with Friday Night 5G Lights, that we knew we had to take things further this time around. The energy is electric, and I can't wait to see what these schools do." How to Get in the Game High schools in U.S. towns with populations under 150,000 are eligible to apply. Authorized school officials, including teachers, coaches or administrators can submit an entry on behalf of their school at Submissions must include a short story or essay about why their school deserves an Un-carrier-style transformation for their football field. Applications open today and will be accepted through Sept. 12. Any school that signs up will automatically be entered for a chance to win $5,000 in our "$5K Fridays" sweepstakes running each week of the application period, with 100 winners selected in Week 1 and 50 winners in each of the following seven weeks. A panel of judges will select 25 finalists based on community impact, need, creativity and more. Public voting runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 24, and anyone in the country can vote once per day through Finalists may also earn bonus votes by completing weekly "Social Plays" posted on the Friday Night 5G Lights website. The grand prize winner will be announced on Oct. 30. T-Mobile's Commitment to Small-Town America Friday Night 5G Lights is just one part of T-Mobile's larger effort to connect every corner of the country. Since 2020, America's Best Mobile Network has: Expanded 5G coverage by 1.24 million square miles Made T-Mobile 5G Home Internet available to 70 million households, with millions in rural areas, and launched T-Mobile Fiber — bringing more options for fast, reliable internet across the U.S. Offered free connectivity for up to 10 million eligible students across the country through T-Mobile's $10.7 billion initiative, Project 10Million Invested nearly $18 million through Hometown Grants for community development projects Created T-Satellite, the only satellite-to-mobile network solution that automatically connects to most modern smartphones in areas unreachable by any terrestrial network. Launching on July 23, the service is available for free on T-Mobile's best plan. Customers on other plans and customers on competitor networks can opt-in for $10/month. For more on T-Satellite: Learn more and enter today at Follow the T-Mobile Newsroom on X and Instagram to catch the latest company updates. Watch Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Mahomes announce the return of Friday Night 5G Lights here. Learn more about today's announcement on our newsroom. Best mobile network: Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2025 data. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. See 5G device, coverage, and access details at T-Satellite: Developing technology available in most areas, most of the time; ultimately available in most outdoor areas where you can see the sky. $10/mo. for service beginning in July 2025 and renews automatically each month until cancelled. Cancel anytime in the T-Life App. About T-Mobile T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America's supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile's customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Mint Mobile. For more information please visit: View source version on Contacts Media ContactT-Mobile US, Inc. Media RelationsMediaRelations@ Investor Relations ContactT-Mobile US,
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Q&A: Patrick Mahomes on Mavs fandom after Luka, high school football and more
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a Texas high school football legend, and he still carries lessons from the Friday night lights with him to this day. The future Hall of Famer played his high school ball at Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas, the kind of small town where many athletes forge their dreams of being able to play sports on the biggest stages in the world. It's why his new partnership with T-Mobile for its 2025 Friday Night 5G Lights initiative makes all the sense in the world. Mahomes said he feels the initiative is a great way for him to give back and help other high school athletes reach for the stars like he did when he played in high school. "It's just such a natural fit for me," Mahomes said about the T-Mobile partnership. "Growing up in a small town, and high school football kind of being what everybody kind of breathes every single week in the fall. "[It's great] being able to be part of something that gives back to these high schools and gives these kids opportunities to go out there and live out their dreams." FTW chatted with Mahomes in June about the partnership, his high school football days and some pressing questions we had about Dippin' Dots, his Dallas Mavericks fandom perspective on the Luka Dončić trade, his social media habits and his noted love for ketchup on mac and cheese. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What's the biggest thing you miss from your high school football days? I think just high school sports, and high school football especially, it just is the truest form of football. I mean, there's no money. There's no marketing deals. There's no sponsorships. It's all about just the love of the game and playing with the kids that you grew up with, and that's how I was in a small town is, I grew up playing little league baseball, little league basketball with the guys that were playing starting receiver for me in high school, and I'm still friends with those guys. And, so, this is the true love of the game. It's what the spirit of football was about when it first started, and I think it's really cool that T-Mobile's going to partner with a lot of these high schools, give them some money so they can broadcast their games, and they'll be able to have that for the rest of their time. When you look at your journey from high school to the NFL, what's the biggest thing that helps you from your high school days? Nothing was given to me... Football was never really the path for me, and you just had to go out there to work hard and earn everything that you got. I feel like a lot of people can resonate with that. It's not always going to be the 5-star quarterback or the person that comes with all the opportunities. It's about the guy that works hard every single day to be the best that they can be, and that's who usually has the most success because when they get the success, they know how to keep it by continuing to work hard. When I heard the Kelce brothers doing their podcast, they said you had a Dippin' Dots special fridge in your garage. How did you get that? I think it started off naturally. I think me and Brittney [Mahomes], we were at some type of game, and we ordered Dippin' Dots, and she posted on her Instagram story, and Dippin' Dots reached out to us and said they had these freezers that they could actually send to us so we could have them at home. And, so, I got them at home... [Travis Kelce] didn't tell the part where he kind of comes over all the time now and grabs two or three bags every time he's over. What was it like getting acclimated to Twitter when you were younger, and what's kept you going in terms of posting during live sporting events? In everything I do in my life, I try to stay authentic and realistic to who I am, and I was on Twitter just kind like how you probably were when it really boomed and I was getting into high school. And I was live-tweeting then as I do now. And so it's just being who I've always been. I love sports. I love watching games, and I react just like every other person does, and so I'll throw it out there. I get a few more retweets and then likes and stuff like that now, but it's the same tweets I've had my entire life. I know you're a big Mavericks fan... Where were you during the Luka Dončić trade, and what has it been like to process going from that to landing Cooper Flagg? It took me a while [to process everything]. I was actually at home when the Dončić trade happened in bed like I'm sure a lot of people were, and I remember rolling over and waking my wife up to tell her, like she cared as much as I did. She basically put on a good face for me, but she rolled over, went back to sleep, and it kept me up for a couple hours. But, it's more than just a basketball player, man. I've known Luka since he was 18 years old in Dallas, and I was down there, like 22 years old. So, [I'm] happy for him that he got to get to the Lakers, a great organization, and I'm sure the sky is the limit for them there, but [it's] exciting for me to win the draft lottery, a roller coaster of emotions, and getting Cooper Flagg now, it's going to be an amazing team. Get everybody back healthy, and we'll have as good a chance as anybody at making a run at the title this next year. Have you ever eaten Whataburger spicy ketchup on mac and cheese? I have not done the spicy Ketchup on mac and cheese. I mean, I've done the ketchup on a lot of things. I do like ketchup on mac and cheese, but I usually stick to putting it on my Whataburger stuff. But, if you get those French fries or that Whataburger with that ketchup, man, it's hard to beat that. And, so, glad to get it to Kansas City now. I probably go there more than [Chiefs coach Andy Reid] wants me to, but he can't be mad at me when he's eating all the cheeseburgers.
Associated Press
25-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
T‑Mobile Reaches $16 Million in Funding for Hometown Grants, Strengthening Communities Nationwide
BELLEVUE, Wash., March 25, 2025 /3BL/ - T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced its latest 25 Hometown Grant recipients, each set to receive up to $50,000 in funding from T-Mobile to support local development projects to revitalize their communities. Since kicking off its five-year commitment to small towns and rural communities in April 2021, the Un-carrier has provided more than $16 million in Hometown Grants to 375 communities across 48 states and Puerto Rico. Hometown Grants has sparked more than 150,000 volunteer hours, bringing people together to uplift their communities in big ways. 'When we started Hometown Grants nearly four years ago, we knew T-Mobile could make a real difference in small towns across the country, but the impact has exceeded all expectations,' said Jon Freier, President, T-Mobile Consumer Group. 'With this latest round of grants, communities will be able to fund everything from new fire hose technology to expanded food pantry space — creating important, life-changing improvements for the people who call these towns home.' Here are the next 25 Hometown Grant recipients and their projects: T-Mobile teams up with Main Street America — a nonprofit organization that works to advance shared prosperity, create resilient economies and improve quality of life through place-based economic development and community preservation — to bring Hometown Grants to life. Grant applications are reviewed based on their level of detail, community impact, feasibility and other considerations. 'T-Mobile's Hometown Grants program is bringing critical resources to small towns and rural communities across America,' said Erin Barnes, President and CEO, Main Street America. 'These investments are transforming local landscapes and creating new opportunities for growth and connection.' T-Mobile's Commitment to Championing Rural Communities T-Mobile's Hometown Grants commitment goes beyond community development programs. The Un-carrier has awarded nearly $4 million to small businesses through Hometown Grants to support projects like revitalizing farmers markets, launching business incubators and improving main streets. Beyond Hometown Grants, T-Mobile is focused on many initiatives to make sure no community, big or small, gets left behind. The Un-carrier's Project 10Million offers free internet connectivity and mobile hotspots to eligible student households to help close the digital divide. And T-Mobile's Friday Night 5G Lights is a competition that's gearing up for its second year to give one deserving high school a football field makeover valued at $2 million. Learn more about Friday Night 5G Lights and pre-register now for the next round at As the country's largest and fastest 5G network, T-Mobile is all about small towns and rural areas. Plus, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and Business Internet give homes and businesses across the country access to reliable and affordable broadband options. And for those in even the most rural areas, T-Mobile Starlink is on a mission to eliminate mobile dead zones in areas unreachable by traditional cell towers. For more information about T-Mobile's commitment to small towns, visit And to see how Hometown Grants are creating change, go here. Register for the free T-Mobile Starlink Beta here. Follow @TMobileNews on X, formerly known as Twitter, to stay up to date with the latest company news. # # # About Main Street America Main Street America leads a collaborative movement with partners and grassroots leaders that advances shared prosperity, creates resilient economies, and improves quality of life through place-based economic development and community preservation in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the country. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has helped to build economic power in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts through our signature Main Street Approach™ framework. Founded as the National Main Street Center® in 1980, Main Street America has helped to generate over $107.62 billion in local reinvestment, rehab 335,675 buildings, create 782,059 new jobs, and start 175,323 new businesses in over 2,000 communities. Learn more about Main Street America here. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Not available in all areas. Delivered via 5G cellular network; speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks. Project 10Million: Verify National School Lunch Program eligibility at signup. Fastest based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data of national Speed Score results incorporating 5G download and upload speeds for 2H 2024. See T-Mobile Starlink details at Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. See 5G device, coverage, & access details at
