The heated rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs has spilled over to City Hall. Yes, you read that correctly.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said Sunday “They have to play us” ahead of the Bengals’ second straight AFC Championship game against the Chiefs. And Pureval didn’t miss an opportunity to throw a hit to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Joseph Lee Burrow, who is 3-0 against Mahomes, has been asked by officials to take a paternity test to confirm whether or not he is his father,” Pureval She said in an official statement shared on Twitter and Facebook.
The diss caught the attention of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Mahomes’ wife Brittany Mahomes, who called Pureval’s attempt at light-hearted fun “weak” and “embarrassing”.
Lucas agreed with Brittany Mahomes and said he will let the Chiefs do the talking on the football field this weekend. “No need to answer. KC has class. Cincinnati has Jerry Springer and no rings. See you Sunday,” Lucas tweeted.
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Pureval didn’t just shoot Mahomes. He referred to Arrowhead Stadium as “Burrowhead Stadium,” the Bengals’ nickname for the Chiefs’ stadium.
“Kansas City is named after its neighboring state which is, you know, just a little weird,” Pureval said in his proclamation, though he’s not right. Kansas City was incorporated in 1853, eight years before Kansas became a state. The city was first named the City of Kansas and later became Kansas City in 1889, Kansas City Fox4 reported.
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The story continues
“We’re the loudest stadium in the world, ever recorded…142 decibels….I don’t know, I don’t know,” Kelce said during his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. “Maybe we’ll have to break it this week because a lot of Cincinnati Bengals fans are calling him ‘Burrowhead’ instead of Arrowhead. They’re throwing a lot of bulletin board stuff out there.”
The Cincinnati mayor’s comments are certainly bulletin board material.
In fact, he brought it back a little later in the day.
“Nation of Bengal, Lol. I hear you,” he tweeted. “My competitive juices and love of cincy got the best of me. My fault. Staying hungry and humble. See you Sunday. Who Dey baby!”
The Bengals are 3-0 against the Chiefs with Burrow at the helm, including a 27-24 overtime win in last year’s AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. Burrow has nine touchdowns and one interception in the three matchups.
Contributed: Quinlan Bentley, The Cincinnati Enquirer
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cincinnati Mayor Pureval Takes Twitter Action Ahead of AFC Title Game
