Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
July 22, 2025
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright. As far as injuries go, the guys that didn’t practice today were (Kristian) Fulton, (Jawaan) Taylor, and (Tre) Watson. So, everybody else practiced. The same guys I mentioned yesterday that are on PUP, they didn’t practice today. Other than that, it was great to get the guys back out here, great for our fans to show up and the numbers that they did, always makes things pick up even a little faster than normal, so it’s good to have that energy out here. Other than that, I don’t have much from yesterday – it was the first day. It was good to see everybody moving around. Time’s yours”
Q: What message or theme are you trying to get across to the team?
REID: “Yeah, main thing is urgency. You know, the urgency – just keep that up. Everybody’s expectations are high, amongst the team, amongst everybody around. So, but it comes down to the work that you take care of here, and the foundation that you build here.”
Q: How was Josh Simmons’ first day at camp?
REID: “Yeah, you know, he (Josh Simmons) did some good things. He worked in there with the ones and did a nice job, I thought. He’s got things he’s gotta work on, but keep doing that.”
Q: How did Simmons get through the conditioning and testing?
REID: “You know, the whole team did really well, so that was a good thing. You know, the league’s broken it up now, so the O-line and D-line have one thing, and then the rest of the guys have another thing, so. But they all did well.”
Q: On Jared Wiley’s progress.
REID: “Yeah, he’s (Jared Wiley) worked hard, and it was good to get him back out there and get his timing back. So, I thought he did a good job. He had the one drop down here, but other than that he did a pretty good job out there.”
Q: On the development of the team’s practice plan.
REID: “Yeah, so it’s a ramp-up – these are ramp-up days. Which I think are good, you know, for probably everybody – coaches and players. And so it’s a gradual ramp-up, not only length of practice, but then also starting with our shells on and then working from there. So, we’ve gotta – that’s what we’re going through now. This is day one.”
Q: What has Travis Kelce meant to both you and the organization?
REID: “Oh yeah, he’s (Travis Kelce) phenomenal. I mean, you know, he’s been great for this organization. You know, anytime you’re with a guy for 13 years you end up being close to that player, and so I’ve watched him grow as a player, as a man. And we haven’t talked about last years in that. So, you know, you hope he plays forever, but that’s probably not going to happen to any of us. So, whenever he decides to hang it up – he’s built a great legacy here and if he decides this is it, it’s it. If not, more power to him.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
July 22, 2025
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: What did you see from Josh Simmons on this first day?
MAHOMES: “I think he’s (Josh Simmons) done a great job, you know? You see the talent obviously; you see the physical ability, but I think more than that, the way he has worked, you know, I’ve just got to see him working through the rest of his rehab process and then working on the field. He’s done a great job with that; and then learning, I mean he is getting tested every single day with Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and being able to pick up blitzes and do a lot of different type(s) of stuff as well as go against some great pass rushers. So, I am excited for the future that he has.”
Q: What kind of communication do you have to have while speaking to the rookies and veterans?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, a lot, that is why we sit in the film room, and we talk through these things. I mean, I’m talking to the whole O-line, and we all have to be on the same page, and I think it is going to help him ( Josh Simmons) a lot, that Creed’s (Humphrey) there, and Trey (Smith) and some of these veteran guys that kind of know how I talk, and what I mean when I say stuff as well as just us meeting together and having that communication and, I got to say every training camp, I mean the best test you’re going to get is going up against Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo). So going up against him, seeing those blitzes, communicating, that’s going to help us a lot as we get to the season.”
Q: How excited are you to see Trey Smith and George Karlaftis sign long-term deals?
MAHOMES: “Extremely excited. More than the player, the people that they are. I mean, y’all know Trey (Smith), y’all know George (Karlaftis), just come to work every single day, attack the day, great teammates, great people in the community and that’s what you want on your team. And so, we’ve built a great culture here, and to have guys like that get rewarded for how they play, but also the people that they are, it’s a great feeling and it keeps guys wanting to come out there and be the best every single day.”
Q: You guys said you want to throw the ball downfield; how good did it feel to see Xavier Worthy on the very first play downfield?
MAHOMES: “Yeah for sure, I mean that’s what we got to do. We got to keep doing it, though and we got great corners, so that’s going to be a lot of challenges for us, but even on some of those that we throw incomplete, that we’re throwing down the field, we can talk through those routes and talk through that stuff, and so that’s the mindset is getting back to throwing the ball down the field, and if we can do that, it’ll open up the rest of the offense.”
Q: Is there anything that you want to get out of your connection with Rashee Rice, due to the time he missed?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean you saw it at the beginning of last year with him (Rashee Rice) being in the full training camp and another year of us and our communication, it was going off to a very hot start, but he attacked the rehab process now and has came back ready to go. And so had a good first day today, we’ll continue to work, continue to get better and better, and he’ll evolve his game to be ever better than he was at the beginning of last year.”
Q: With coming back to camp, what is the message for the team to all get on the right track?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think it’s just every year resets, when we talk about that after we win, we talk about that after we lose. And so, it started from day one. ‘How can you attack this day to be better than you were the day before,’ and that’s not only on the practice field that’s in the meeting rooms, and that’s how you recover and get yourself ready to go. And so, we know we have one of the hardest training camps out there, but it’s for a reason; and so how can you attack it every day and not have those down days? We’ll have a lot of just building and building and that will prepare us for the next day, and it’ll prepare us for the end of the season.”
Q: What does Hollywood Brown mean for your offense?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean, you could see at the beginning in training camp last year and in the first, even in the first play of the preseason. He’s (Hollywood Brown) going to be someone that makes plays for us; and so, we’ll just continue to evolve, and even though he wasn’t playing, he was in those meeting rooms last year, so he has an understanding for kind of how we do things. And then at the end of last year, kind of getting thrown in, he made some plays and did some stuff in a very hard situation, and so I’m excited for him, I’m excited for that whole room man. It’s a lot of talented guys, but they all, you can tell truly who cares about each other and want each other to succeed and so they want to go out there and prove themselves as much as I want to go out there and prove myself and the rest of this team, and so I’m excited for that whole group getting to showcase who they can really be.”
Q: Thoughts on Rashee Rice’s suspension moving forward?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think we just come out here and practice hard every day. You can’t worry about stuff that’s going to happen down the line. You worry about how can you get better this day and how can you get better the next day? And that’s how we go about our mindset, regardless. All that stuff will handle itself, and I’m sure the coaches can speak more to it. But, at the end of the day, we’re going to go out there and attack the practice and attack the day, so that we are prepared to play the next day.”
Q: How did the Super Bowl affect your offseason motivation?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean obviously we didn’t play the way we wanted to play. On a nation stage – a worldwide stage. You want to go out there and be better and so that kind of helps you out on some of those extra workouts that you don’t want to do or some of the different stuff in order to get better for the next season. It kind of keeps that in your mind. But now we’re here. We’re here. You start over. ‘How can I get better for teammates? How can I get better for the guy beside me?’ And going out there and attacking so that we can find a way to win that last game and not lose it.”
Q: Did you have any messages to your teammates after the Super Bowl?
MAHOMES: “I think enough was really spoken after that game. I think when you got back to OTAs and minicamp and stuff like that I think the guys had that mindset. You could tell with the pep in their step and just in the little talks the guys had throughout the team. I don’t think anything really needs to be said when you get beat like that. Everybody knows that we got to be better and so, we’re going to try and attack that and be even better this year.”
Q: Head Coach Andy Reid said his message to the team is to keep urgency, how do you interpret that?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think you always have to get better. I think that’s something that people lose track of when you have success. Obviously, we didn’t win that last game, but we had a lot of success last year. And I think sometimes people want to be stagnant and they want to go out there and just do it over again. But you see with the rest of the AFC West, the rest of the AFC and the NFL, is everybody is getting better. So, we have to get better. So, that’s about keeping the urgency in practice, competing, going at it. You want to be competitive, but you want to be better together. That is something that we’ve always done, but we want to try and it take it to a new level this year.”
Q: Theres a lot of doubt about the Chiefs in the news, how much does that motivate you?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean at the end of the day, and I said it in an interview a couple of weeks ago now. You got to play football. I mean all of that stuff gets handled on the football field. So, we didn’t end the way we wanted to end it. But we’re going to prepare ourselves so that when we get out there, we’re going to play our best football this next game. Then we will try to do it the next game after that. And then like I said, ‘you try to end the year with a win,’ and that’s our goal.”
Q: How can you get better from last year?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think for me I have to be better at throwing the ball down the field. I mean obviously, we weren’t good enough there. We’ve had success in prior years but these last few years we haven’t done that. In order for our offense to be great, you have to be able to complete those passes, it opens up everything else. So, if teams are going to challenge us at the line of scrimmage, if teams are going to challenge us to throw the ball deep, we have to show that we can do that. If we can do that – first it starts with me and giving guys chance – and if we can do that, I think it is really going to open up the offense and make us a better team in general.”
DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS
Q: What has the process been like regarding your contract extension?
KARLAFTIS: “It was a great process; very respectful I feel like on both sides. You know, it went good. I knew this signing was probably going to be done before camp, and I’m glad it did and I’m happy to be here for another how many years.”
Q: What do you love about the team and Kansas City?
KARLAFTIS: “For me really, it starts with the team. You know, the team, (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, the guys on the team (and) the locker room. Everything about this organization from the top down really. Just amazing. (Theres) no place I’d rather be really. Then the city, my fiancé (Kaia Harris) and I have grown to love this place, calling it home now. It’s awesome.”
Q: Can you speak on the mentorship you have with Ashton Gillotte?
KARLAFTIS: “I was extremely fortunate – most of you probably remember me – three years ago, probably around today, I had a guy called Frank Clark and he was out here with me every single day after practice. And I’ve been fortunate enough to know Ashton (Gillotte) for a couple of years now and working with him and trying to pass down the torch. Kind of like Frank (Clark) to me, Carlos (Dunlap), Chris (Jones), all those guys I had my rookie year. That’s really what it’s about, you know, figuring it out as you go (and) it makes it a lot easier when you got a guy who wants the best for you, and is genuine about your success and all that stuff. I was so fortunate to be a rookie and have some great vets, and I just hope I can do my part in developing these young guys.”
G TREY SMITH
Q: Leading up to the July 15th deadline, were you always confident you were going to sign a long-term deal?
SMITH: “Yeah, man I got a veteran offensive lineman that trained me when I was a young kid named Artis Hicks, and I have a lot of long conversations and talks with him, and he just told me: ‘Man, at the end of the day you can control the controllables’. I can control my effort, my hard work and that’s all I can control at the end of the day. So, obviously, you know, I’m a faith driven person and I just trusted in God, and I just kept going to work.”
Q: On attending mandatory minicamp when past players in a similar position have sat out.
SMITH: “I wanted to be with my team. You know, I love being with the Kansas City Chiefs. I have a tremendous sense of honor and pride playing here. I really love my job, you know what I mean? I missed Kansas City, and you know, anytime you come back and play the game I love I’m not going to hesitate to do it.”
Q: With all that you’ve been through, what does it mean for you to go back to your family and say, ‘hey, I made it’?
SMITH: “Yeah, man … (tears up) my bad. I lost my mom when I was 15 – and I made two promises to her: that I would get my degree, play in the NFL – and I promised her that I would be the highest paid (guard). I made a promise man (sniffles) - my parents sacrificed so much for me to be here, so much and to have that moment with them, it’s special. It’s special and it’s something I won’t take for granted.”
President Mark Donovan Quotes
July 22, 2025
OPENING STATEMENT: “Good morning and thank you all for being here. Thank you, (St. Joseph) Mayor (John Josendale), (Missouri Western State University President) Dr. (Elizabeth) Kennedy, (Mosaic Life Care CEO) Mike (Poore), I appreciate you guys. As Dr. Kennedy said, 15 of the last 16 years we have made Missouri Western State University and St. Joe our home. It has been an amazing run. It has been an amazing experience. It doesn’t happen without a lot of hard work and a lot of commitment from everyone involved, so we truly appreciate that. Championship seasons start in St. Joe, and it has been something that we have been able to take advantage of for quite a long time now. We were talking last night at dinner about 2009 and 2010 when we first put this deal together, and there were members of the media who had some questions about ‘would you be here in five years,’ ‘would you be here in 10 years,’ ‘how long would you be here’? We were pretty direct in saying that we expect to be here for a very long time. It’s inspiring, but it’s also with a lot of pride that we are here for our 15th year. It has been a big part of our success, and we are excited to be back here. It doesn’t happen without the partnership of everyone involved – Mosaic, the city, the university, obviously. I want to specifically thank Dr. Kennedy, Athletic Director Andy Carter, for all of their commitments to not only run and lead a great camp for us, but also to work with us on various upgrades over the years that make our camp experience better. As Dr. Kennedy said, ‘Make the experience for our fans even better,’ which is critical to our mission. Dr. Kennedy mentioned it and I’m going to mention it again – the Missouri Western staff, the people behind the scenes who do the dirty work, before, during and after, who are there very long hours on very hot days – making sure that everyone’s experience is great. Not just the players, the coaches and our football ops staff, but our staff, as well as our fans. There are a bunch of people we interact with for the next few weeks here that become part of our family. The people who prepare and serve us our food, the people who are on the turf team. We see them every single day and we really appreciate everything that they do. Mayor Josendale, the (St. Joesph) Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, and everyone from St. Joe – I have told this story before, it is pretty special especially the first few years coming up here. When you get in your car after a long meeting, and you go down to McDonald’s and grab a coffee, the people working see your logo and they say “thank you for being here.” I just want to say the other way around – thank you guys for welcoming us and treating us the way that you do. I’m going to quickly shout out our fans. Dr. Kennedy shared with us this morning that she got a call from security this morning that our fans started lining up at 2 a.m. for practice today. Thank you to our fans. Thank you to our staff, the people behind the scenes, (Executive Vice President of Arrowhead Operations and Events) Matt Kenny, (Vice President of Arrowhead Events) Jeremy Slavens, everybody on the operations team who really create the experience for our fans. Mike (Poore) mentioned our four pillars – our fan experience is something that Lamar (Hunt) himself believed was the most important aspect of what we do. We had to create the very best experience in sports and entertainment, and this is a part of that. We have a team that is very dedicated to doing just that. One thing I’m really proud to talk about today relates to our fans, and our internal team and the work that we have been doing over the last decade. You’ve heard our goal of being ‘The World’s Team.’ I’m proud to be standing here today representing the folks who have made the Kansas City Chiefs the number one fan base in the NFL. It’s a place that we have never been before – we have the largest fan base in the National Football League. From the perspective of a relatively mid-sized market in comparison to the other NFL teams, it’s quite an accomplishment, and something we are really proud of. It is also a direct reflection of the passion of our fans, so we’re really excited about that. The camp experience would not be possible without the commitment of our players to take the extra moment after practice to interact with our fans. They understand the importance of it, and that comes directly from last night’s meeting when the entire team got together, and (Chiefs Chairman and CEO) Clark Hunt addressed and mentioned how important it was to take the extra minute and really engage with our fans when given the opportunity. That is followed up by the support and commitment from our Head Coach Andy Reid and our General Manager Brett Veach – just talking with the guys and making sure they understand it. And then finally, from our leadership – you know when we’ve got Patrick (Mahomes), Travis (Kelce), Chris (Jones), Nick (Bolton) and guys like that leading by example, it really does create an amazing experience for all our fans. I’m going to read the next few if you’ll indulge me here because they are important to our fans. This relates specifically to camp – so, it's a fully ticketed camp. All tickets must be reserved in advance. Tickets are free, with the exception of three days where there is a $6 fee per ticket. $7 parking per vehicle per day, with the exception of our two Season Ticket Member days, today is our first Season Ticket Member Day. You can get all of your information on purchasing tickets, weather updates, as well as camp schedules on chiefs.com/trainingcamp. We are sold out on a number of days already, so, I would give you the hack to just stay in tune with our website and that particular web address and every day that we have extra tickets that become available the morning of, we will put them online. All of the camp updates – you can download our app, and they will be sent to you. Finally, for security purposes, the NFL’s Clear Bag Policy will be in place, and everyone will be screened coming in to keep everybody safe and secure during camp. With that, I will end by saying it has been quite a run. When you are in five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three of those five. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I think it is a pretty true statement, there has never been a better time to be a Chiefs fan. We appreciate the fans that are out there.”
Q: Normally there's a little bit of fanfare with announcing that there's a contract extension or renewal done. This was kind of quiet. Is that just where the relationship has reached and just the expectation that you’ll be in St. Joe?
DONOVAN: “Matt, you’re usually the one who creates the fanfare for us. It's been a long-standing partnership, as I mentioned. You know, the first few years, people were questioning how long we'd be here. Really excited to be here for our 15th of 16 years. I think every year we go into it with the same attitude, we're great partners. We've come to understand each other's businesses even more so, and to be clear and transparent, their business is changing. A whole lot of things are happening in the world that affect higher education, government funding, things like that that directly impact them and directly impact their ability to do deals like this. Same for us. So, what we've done is we've continuously over the years, extended a few years out, and give us the ability to take a look and see where we are. The upgrades that I mentioned that have happened over the years, we've taken the time to say, ‘Okay, could we change this?’ ‘And how do we get that done?’ And it's working together. It's working with the state, working with the county, working with the city, working with the university, to make those changes. So, we'll continue to do that. We have a long-term extension that gives us the ability to take a look at it every single year and say, ‘Okay, where are we? What works, what doesn't work?’ And gives us both the flexibility we really need in this changing world that we're in.”
Q: Do you have attendance figures year over year with training camp? Because it seemed like from 2020 on every year was a new record in terms of attendance. So how do you track that?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, we track it. One of the reasons we went to ticketing is we can actually track attendance and gather data, sort of part of our big business. So, I would tell you that every year has gotten a little bit bigger. Everything's impacted by the weather a little bit. So, if you look at the actual attendance numbers, they can be impacted a bit by weather. This year has been no exception. We're sold out a number of days already, which is not a surprise. Our team does a really good job of predicting - when you give away free tickets, there's a take rate, right? And our team does a really, really good job of making sure we're putting out enough tickets so that we can get max 5,000, maybe a little over 5,000 at a practice. And the reason for that goes back to one of the points that a number of us hit on, which is the fan experience. So, we have found over the years that that number is a sweet spot. We're having a great experience. The one thing you don't want to do is have people travel all the way up here and not be able to see a player, not be able to get to the front, not be able to get a seat in the bleachers. So, we really focus on making sure the experience is as good as it can be, and that 5,000 sweet spot is sort of the number we shoot for.”
Q: How much is the stadium uncertainty playing a part in the future of camp?
DONOVAN: “Very little. When you think about it, if you just look at timeline, if you just look at the time, the reality is, you know, we're going to be in our stadium through ’31. So, the fact is, you know, as long as we're there, there's a good chance we'll be here. So that's really the plan, and then we'll make a decision after that.
Q: We last talked to you a couple of weeks ago. Have conversations progressed in just the past couple weeks?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, I know it sounds redundant and boring for you guys, but you know exactly what I've said in the past, I'm going to say again, which is, we continue to make progress. We've had more meetings. We've had more discussions. I said this last time we talked, but you know, at this point, it's literally you're taking an agreement this long and whittling it down to ‘Okay, this paragraph, and in this paragraph, this line, are we in agreement on this?’ And we're doing that on both sides. And you know you're in that process, so you're not sure exactly how everything's going to go. Some of them are tough, big decisions you’ve got to put a pin in, and we'll come back to that, and let's go on to the next one. And we're in the middle of both sides of the state line with that. And as I said before, I'll say it again, like the commitment on both sides has been really, really humbling. There's a real interest to figure this out on both sides of the state line, and that gives us a great opportunity to figure out what's best for our fans and for the organization.”
Q: Would it be possible to describe in what ways, if any, the options at the Truman Sports Complex look different today than what the renderings were that you guys provided a year or two ago? I mean, does that continue to evolve, and how do you look at what those possibilities might be?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, I think it has to continue to evolve. Two things impact that to answer your question directly. The first would be that CSL study that we did where we talked to thousands and thousands of our fans. We talked to him about both options, particularly on the renovation side, we got a lot of good feedback. It was interesting feedback. Some things sort of opened our eyes to what was really important to them. So, we've incorporated some of those as we continue to revise that design. I would say that most of the feedback from fans is related directly to the stadium experience. So, in-stadium, ‘I'd like to see this, this or this. Or ‘in-stadium, I’ve been to this stadium at another NFL team, they have this. Could we incorporate that?’ The majority of that feedback was in-stadium. I think I've said this to you guys before, but you know, their big three were, make sure it's loud; make sure that tailgating is as good, if not better, in either option; and then the humbling one was, you know, there was a very, high level from the survey of we trust the Chiefs to do the right thing. So that’s humbling, but it's also that creates even more pressure on the responsibility to get it right. That's one of the reasons we're taking the time.”
Q: Beyond the in-stadium stuff, how do you continue to, I guess, just evaluate and judge what you might be able to do around it?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, so that's the second part of the answer to your first question, which is, obviously, we've got to figure out what happens with the Royals. Is that stadium there? If it's not there, when is it not there? And then you can figure out what you can do. We can make all the plans we want, but there are a lot of things that go into that that we aren't a part of. The county's talking to the Royals about what happens next if they go so what we've tried to do is control what you can control, prepare for what you can prepare for, and then make sure you have options. And that's a word you guys have heard from me before.”
Q: From the outside, it looks like there's maybe a clear path to building a stadium that wouldn't disrupt anything that would be currently going on at GEHA Field at Arrowhead and wouldn't require a vote from Jackson Countians. But if you do decide to stay and renovate at the Truman Sports Complex, what would be the main deciding factors in that choice?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, Steven, I'd say this, our job, and the team around me, is to get the two best possible potential partnerships figured out down to the detail. And at that point, we're going go to the Hunt family and say, ‘Okay, here are your options. What do you want us to do?’ And they'll decide, and they'll ask for our input, and then we'll go do that better than anybody else. So that's our strategy, and that's what we're working towards, and that's why you hear so much of ‘both sides.’ I'd say, to answer your question, what could make the difference is it's the details of those deals, like what deal makes the most sense from a business perspective, from a future perspective, and I think it's important to point this out, what makes the most sense for our fans for the next generation? Right? There are a lot of really strong arguments on both sides, but we have to make that decision, what we believe makes the best impact on our fans for the next generation.”
Q: Since you’re now working independently, if a Royals decision comes sooner rather than later, how much clarity does that provide you guys because the Royals have made their choice?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, Nate, that's a really logical question. I think that it's got to have some impact, right? Because it makes clear at least one option. I will say this, we're big, big fans of the team over there, and the people involved in that team. I would say, and I've said this as well, they're going through the same process we are. So, we actually respect that, that it takes time, and it takes effort, and a lot of meetings, a lot of things you can't control, a lot of things you can't control from a timing perspective. I think, to specifically answer the question. It's when you look at once they make a decision, okay, so if they go one way, then okay, what happens to Truman Sports Complex then? What does that create from an opportunity standpoint, from a control standpoint? You’ve got to think about if we're the only tenant, that creates some flexibility for us that we haven't had in the past. So, there are things we’ve got to take into account. If they decide something else where they're staying, you know, what if they extend? Well, if they extend, how does that impact us? Could we do a renovation at the same time frame if they're still operating a baseball team there? So that factors in. The one thing that we've sort of fleshed out and feel confident in saying, is if they decide to go to Kansas, it doesn't really have an impact on us. And our ability to go to Kansas. They’re two different projects, the way that the STAR Bonds work, you're basically funding your own project. So, we feel like that could happen and wouldn't have an impact on us. So back to the options, I think all the options are in play. We've stayed in close consultation with them on just ‘Where are you and what's your timeframe?’ But other than that, we've, we both agreed it's better for both of us to be separate.”
Q: Mark, would you foresee making a decision before the Royals?
DONOVAN: “Impossible to answer that question because I have no idea what their timing is, so I can't tell you that. I will say this, we're going to take the time we need to make the right decision. There are moving parts here and you’ve got to get all those moving parts lined up at the right time. But look, we're closer than we've ever been. That's sort of the objective is each day get a little closer, and we've been able to do that.”
Q: Once you guys have the information you need, you wouldn't intentionally wait on their decision?
DONOVAN: “And that's one of the benefits of going your own way and being on two different paths is we're just we're focused on what we what we're doing, and how we do it. And with the exception of what I mentioned before, if, for some reason, we're renovating and they're staying, that has an impact. But no, we wouldn't hold up an announcement because of them.”
Q: Is there any communication between you and the Royals about this at all?
DONOVAN: “You know, very little. We're not talking deal points. We're not talking about what they're doing or what they're not doing. It's more checking in if they are continuing down path, but it's very limited.
Q: Is there any frustration from your end on the way things have been handled by Jackson County or Kansas City?
DONOVAN: “I wouldn't say frustration. I think understanding. You know, this has been five and a half years of a lot of people in our organization's lives, and it's also been quite an education for us as to how two different states work, how a county works, how a city works, how a state legislature works. And we’ve gained a better understanding of there are a lot of challenges in what they do, day to day. Obviously, when you talk about Jackson County, they've got a lot to deal with right now. We have to respect that but be respectful in our discussion with them that we’ve got to keep going here. So, who are we talking to, and what can we talk about, and are we on the same page we were in the last conversation? I would say this from a Jackson County perspective. You know, the folks we're talking to are really excited about figuring something out with us. It's going to take a little bit to get that done. They’ve got to go through their process with what's going on there. But we're going to continue our conversations.”
Q: The Kingdom documentary comes out here pretty soon. How's that? Are you excited for everyone to see what you've been working on for the last year?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, it's been a really exciting project. So, for those of you who don't know, Foolish Club Studios was launched after the Hallmark movie that we did, and this will be its first major project in conjunction with Disney+ and ESPN, and it's another effort to continue to grow the brand and put more content out there. What I’m most excited about is, you know, we got, as you would imagine, we got approached last year before the season by a number of different major Hollywood and film companies wanting to track our season. And we went back to the folks who did Michael Jordan's “The Last Dance” and said, ‘what if we did it with two parallel paths,’ one being tracking the season with access we've never given before, and then a parallel path of charting the history of the Kansas City Chiefs and Lamar Hunt's impact on sports and the NFL in particular. And I would tell you, I've seen the whole thing now, and it does an amazing job of following both of those paths. And you know, you'll see a lot of folks talking about, ‘Well, the season didn't end the way we wanted it to.’ We had to make a decision going into this process that we were going to tell a story, and we were going to hopefully accomplish history, which we did, by being the first team ever to be in three straight with a chance to win the third in a row. But also tell the story of this franchise. And I think the way they combine the two is going to be really, really interesting for our avid fans, as well as our worldwide fans. And one of the reasons we're on Disney+ and ABC and ESPN is the worldwide distribution. When you think about ‘The World's Team’ and what we're doing, you know, there is some strategy behind and some taking advantage of opportunities. We think about what the NFL has done with the Chiefs and how they've increased and gone global. When you look at the first ever worldwide streamed game, it's the Kansas City Chiefs. When you look at this year's game in São Paulo, the fact that it'll be on YouTube worldwide for free, it's an amazing opportunity for the NFL, and we're right in the middle of it. Now, there are a lot of reasons we're in the middle of it, but for us, it's a great opportunity.”
Q: Mark, how about just an update on the progress of the temporary seats at GEHA Field at Arrowhead? As a follow up, is it just kind of happy coincidence that you have a one home preseason game and it's the last one, giving you time to get it all in?
DONOVAN: “Yeah. So, the seat project for the World Cup has been on schedule, on budget, and, as I’ve said before, exceeded my expectations. I think those of you who had the opportunity to see it, when you've been at this organization, – I've been here for 17 seasons – and you've lived in that building, it's a little shocking to see big holes blown into the seats, which is what we had to do. When you're in that process, you're hopeful that it goes right, but it's pretty amazing. Clark was very adamant, even before we committed to World Cup, that if we're going to do this, I want every single one of our Season Ticket Members, every single one of our fans who have a seat on that side, to be able to sit in their seat for every single Chiefs game. So, figure it out. They’ve got to be in those seats. You’ve got to build a field that you can take those seats out, and when you actually see the seats, they're the actual seats, and they're in the same spot. It's just on a modular system that we can actually take out. So, they were taken out, we put the modular system in. It's in place. We'll take it out again for the World Cup, and then we'll put it back in and play two full seasons like that. And then, based on our decision, we'll decide what to do next. But everything's been on schedule and on budget and really, really looks great.”
Q: You talked a lot about the history here at St. Joe, history of the Chiefs, that's part of the reason the fan base is what it is, how much of the process is finding reasons not to leave, but also making the right business decision?
DONOVAN: “I think it's much more making the right business decision and the right decision for our fans. Look, we don't want to leave, but we may find a better option in the future and decide to do that. That's kind of what we're doing with the stadium right now. We may and we may not. I think what makes this thing special is we've got a great partnership with the people who spoke today, and they understand the impact that a training camp can have on St. Joe. And I'll go back to where I opened, which is, you know, if you're sitting in these seats in 2009 and ‘10, I think you could ask some fair questions about what kind of impact could this have on St. Joe. And you look at today, 15 years in, it's measurable, and it exceeded everyone's expectations, and we're proud of that. But we also believe that's what we bring to the table. It's like we can bring something that can change and have impact. And if you look at the history of this, we've done that, so we believe we can do that again, or we can continue here.”
Q: The stadium decision is a generational decision for the next generation of fans. How much of that keeps you up at night?
DONOVAN: “You know, I will say this, I have an amazing team around me, and as president of the organization, I'm humbled by the privilege that Clark and his family have given me, but it's a huge responsibility to do that job. When you put this on top of that job, you really count on the people around you, and they have all stepped up. All these things I'm talking about, all the success we've had, all those measurables have been driven by a lot of really talented people. So, it's given me the ability to take a step back from that and really focus on where I need to be focused right now, and that's this project. My wife might argue that it keeps me up at night. I don't think it keeps me up at night. It definitely is a huge responsibility, but we look at it as a huge opportunity. I've shared this story before. We sat down in a room when we first started talking about this, and we're looking at all the options. And this was before the thought of STAR Bond extension or anything like that. Just like, ‘Okay, here we are. We need to figure this out. What's going to happen in ’31? And he sat down with a group of us and said, ‘Look, the people in this room are going to make the most impactful decision in the history of this organization. Don't screw it up. But I'm trusting you guys to advise me on what we think we should do.’ And it's been four and a half/five years of doing the due diligence, doing the work, negotiating the deals, starts and stops, big steps backwards, working your way back. So, it's been quite a process. I'm really happy with where we are. I'm really happy with the relationships we've developed and the opportunities that are in front of us. “
Q: During the Club World Cup, there was some criticism from players about the heat in specific locations. That led to some speculation that FIFA might consider moving outdoor locations to indoor locations. Has there been any feedback from FIFA about that and how the Club World Cup concerns might impact games at the stadium?
DONOVAN: Yeah, I think that they'll take all that into consideration. There have been no discussions about any major changes. I think the biggest impact you’ll probably see is some scheduling – times of the day, things like that. But you're going to have weather issues no matter where you go, no matter when you go. I think it's really important, and probably more important the surface decisions and what they're playing on. And our team has done a great job of installing even more infrastructure to create the absolute perfect surface for soccer.
Q: Something you said in your intro that you’re now the number one fan base. Sounds like you were saying that based off something measurable?
DONOVAN: “Yeah, yeah. We're really proud of this. And again, I go back to ’09-‘10 for those of you who were here, this organization's come a long way. And a lot of it is the success of this football team and the Hall of Fame coach, Hall of Fame tight end, Hall of Fame quarterback, Hall of Fame defensive tackle, five of the last six Super Bowls. But a lot of it's the work that goes on behind the scenes to have the right plans and the right programs and the right processes in place. And so, the NFL tracks fan base, and it's a combination of your primary fan base and your secondary fan base, and they rank every single NFL team. And you can imagine in 2009 and ‘10, we were looking up a long way to get into the top 10. As great as our fans are, you have the challenge of a smaller market, the challenge of not being really successful on the field, and we've been able to do things off the field, innovative wise, marketing wise, the movies and things like that have created a much bigger fan base. But the cool thing about it for us and our strategy is that one of the reasons we're number one is we're a worldwide fan base now. So, the combination that is for the first time ever, we surpassed some of the biggest teams out there, and we're the largest fan base in the NFL.”
Q: As you continue to cultivate data, or however you express it, to present to Clark and the Hunt family on what to do, do you have any sense of Clark's inclinations? You feel like he's purely open minded? I know he's got sentiment about Arrowhead, obviously. Is there anything you can share about their state of mind, his state of mind?