The NFL 2024 playoff heat is on and fans can not expect a better season than this one where they get to see the best compete with the best for the ultimate prize. While the Kansas City Chiefs are already one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl and complete their hat trick, they are also receiving heavy criticism for having “the refs with them.” I mean, just look at the November matchup between the Chiefs and the Broncos, the Chiefs QB was caught red-handed when he asked, “Can you let me know when he’s close? Tell me, tell me!” to one of the refs. This was enough for the internet to establish the fact that the Chiefs are being favored by the NFL itself. Now, when the Chiefs vs Texans is just a day away, the NFL is being accused of another foul play favoring Patrick Mahomes‘ Chiefs.

The playoff season is that time of the year when every brand wants its visibility on the biggest stage. This time, Invisalign – a $15 Billion worth brand – has partnered with the NFL and Mahomes. This has been announced just a day before the Chiefs will be clashing against the Texans. Although this partnership is also well within the line of the NFLPA’s Partnership & Endorsement Policy, this partnership seems to be going against the Chiefs and their star QB.

The NFL posted Patrick Mahomes-related update on Instagram and it went viral within hours. The post says, “setting the record straight. Yes, it’s an Invisalign. 😁 Excited to be officially joining the team Invisalign,” with Patrick Mahomes’s picture on it. And people are furious about why the NFL endorsed the deal between Mahomes and a $15 billion brand – Invisalign.

Invisalign also shared the update as ‘Patrick Mahomes is joining Invisalign Smile Squad as an ambassador for the brand’. It is a medical device design company, established in 2017. The NFL partners with the $15-billion company for various reasons. During the Super Bowl 2022, the company launched a campaign involving players and fans to bring smiles to people’s faces. But before even that, in 2020, Invisalign was an ‘Official Clear Aligner Sponsor’ of the NFL. So, the relations between the organization and the medical device company are strong.

Patrick Mahomes has reacted to the announcement, saying, “After many years of speculation, I figured it was finally time to set the record straight, and many of you were right… I am a proud user of Invisalign.” He also added, “When it came time for me to choose how to improve my smile, it was clear that Invisalign aligners were the right choice for me over traditional braces. I’m excited to officially join Team Invisalign.” Well, it’s not the deal, but the NFL posting it on their official handle raised eyebrows.

Many players have joined forces with the company besides Patrick Mahomes, but their names never got highlighted. That is why football fans are refusing to tolerate the NFL’s focus on posting only “exciting” updates about Mahomes. After the update, fans called the move foul and reacted heavily to it.

NFL fans took a jab at Mahomes-NFL ties

After the NFL posted the ‘Invisalign’ deal and how the league is ‘excited’ about it, fans reacted to it as “Why NFL actually gotta post this?” Others said, “I have never seen more than a dozen players partner with the company this season, and not once has the NFL page been included with any of them. They can’t stop stroking his peeler.” That speaks volumes about the fans rage.

Fans are taking this issue so seriously as they expect the game to be fair on and off the field. Is the NFL downgrading its own value? Well, one fan reacted on this note, saying, “Usually, I’m not a hater… but the NFL needs to wipe its chin after this.” Other than this, one football fan responded to the viral post as “WTF NFL account posting ads” while other sports enthusiasts reacted, “Kermit the frog on his way to thinking, be gonna win another ring.” This certainly didn’t paint a good picture of the league, pointing towards the bias.

Well, the post really sparked reactions from fans, particularly the negative ones. People are definitely not supporting, liking, and ignoring what the NFL is doing for revenue purposes or whatever reason. And is posting an exclusive update on the NFL’s official account the symptom of biased support towards the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes? What do you think?