Chiefs Chairman & CEO Clark Hunt Quotes
July 22, 2024
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, good morning, everybody. It’s great to be here at Missouri Western State University, getting the 2024 campaign under way. I know we’re already a couple practices in and the guys are working hard. We appreciate our Season Ticket Holders who are here today. I had a chance to be at our pancake breakfast with them this morning, and they’re definitely enthusiastic and looking forward to a great year. I just want to say how thankful we are to everybody in St. Joe – and particularly here at the University, for the job they do in taking care of us. We’ve been up here 14 to 15 years now, and it’s a tremendous experience and I know (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) appreciates the preparation that we get here. With that, I’ll open it up.”
Q: What was your message to the team the other day?
HUNT: “Well, there’s certain elements that I repeat every year. I want them to understand the culture of the club, the mission statement, obviously, our goal. Our goal is to end up in New Orleans, getting ready to play for another Lombardi Trophy, but the challenge this year is going to be the distractions. There’s going to be a lot of talk about us going back-to-back-to-back and the challenge for the team really is to focus on the task at hand. Here at training camp, that’s the next practice. As Coach Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) mentioned, here in a few weeks, that’s going to be the Baltimore Ravens and we really have to be in the present if we want to have a chance to achieve our long-term goals.”
Q: With the recent passing of Chiefs Hall of Famer Abner Haynes, he’s one of the players that has his jersey number retired by the club. I was wondering what the team’s philosophy was on retiring jersey numbers?
HUNT: “First of all, let me just say how sad that we were as an organization about the passing of (Chiefs Hall of Famer) Abner (Haynes). He was a foundational piece of the franchise, going all the way back to 1960. He played a key part in those early (Dallas) Texans teams, including the one that won the AFL Championship. I always enjoyed getting to see Abner. He frequently came to our alumni weekends and was somebody who was very passionate about the organization, so he’s definitely going to be missed. You’re right, we do have 10 jerseys that have been retired and with the exception of (Pro Football Hall o Famer and Chiefs Hall of Famer) Derrick Thomas, all of those players were players from the 1960s who really helped lay the foundation for the success of the franchise. As we’ve gone along over the years, we’ve needed to be more judicious in retiring jerseys. Just from a practical standpoint of having enough numbers available, particularly for training camp, where you’ve got 90-91 players. (It) certainly doesn’t mean that we won’t ever retire another jersey, but it’s something we’re going to really think about and approach from a bigger perspective.”
Q: From your standpoint, how much have you considered the idea, logically and logistically, of having the franchise play in a different stadium, or that stadium being in Kansas?
HUNT: “At this point, that’s premature. We do have six-and-a-half years left on our lease at GEHA Field at Arrowhead. GEHA Field at Arrowhead is a special place. It’s special for our fans and it’s special for the players and coaches, but we do have to look to the future. We do need a solution starting in 2031, which I know that (President) Mark (Donovan) mentioned (that) we’re glad to have some options. We really appreciate what the Kansas legislature did in passing the upgrade to the STAR Bond deal that potentially would give us an opportunity to look at a stadium over there. We’re going to work very hard over the coming months and years to come up with a solution that makes sense for the organization, for the team, but also one that makes sense for the community. So, we’re approaching it very much with an open mind and look forward to talking to leaders on both sides of the state line.”
Q: Do you feel like you or the organization need to do anything different to keep the stadium where it is?
HUNT: “Well, part of our evaluation over the next several months and coming years will be looking at whether we’re better off in a renovated building or in a new stadium. That new stadium could be on the Missouri side as well. It doesn’t have to be on the Kansas side. I had a bunch of Season Ticket Holders come up to me today to share how special GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is with them and we know that, but we do have to look to the future. Potentially, having a new building, whether it’s on the Missouri or Kansas side, may make the most sense.”
Q: For a long time, you were consistent in saying that your preferred outcome was a renovated GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Do you still feel that way? Is that your desired outcome?
HUNT: “You know, we’re really approaching it with an open mind. We don’t have a desired outcome. We just have to find a solution that works for the community and something that works for the club.”
Q: Can you see any scenario where you would consider an option outside of the Kansas City metropolitan area?
HUNT: “Well, we have a special connection with the community and with Chiefs Kingdom. Our focus is very much on finding a solution here in the metropolitan area.”
Q: Chiefs President Mark Donovan referenced a six-month timeline the other day. Are you putting any deadline on the decision for a new or renovated stadium at six months?
HUNT: “I think what (President) Mark (Donovan) was trying to communicate is the urgency, and we definitely feel like this is an urgent issue that we’ve got to find a solution for in the near term. I would agree with Mark that we would like to make some significant progress over the next six months. I know from having been through the few stadium efforts that they’re slow moving and unpredictable, so to say we’ll be able to get to the finish line in six months is probably optimistic, but we would like to make some progress.”
Q: What’s most important with finding a new training facility or staying in the same place?
HUNT: “We love our training facility, but we’ve outgrown it. It’s hard to believe, you know, 15 (or) 16 years after it was built that we’ve outgrown it, but every NFL team has grown in terms of the number of people, number of players, number of coaches. Long term, that’s going to be part of what we have to look at – it would either be a major renovation of our existing training facility or the construction of a new training facility that would help us accommodate not only the size of the organization now, but also, we’re likely to grow over the next couple of decades.”
Q: Is the possibility of covering the stadium something you might revisit so that you could make GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadum into a more multipurpose facility?
HUNT: “I would say all options are on the table. As you know, that was something that we considered 20 years ago when we were working on the renovations that took place starting in 2006. I do think we’ll look at it again. I mentioned the possibility of a new stadium also on the Missouri side. I think if we went that route, certainly, we would have to look at a dome. A dome gives you an ability to host a lot of other events which could be important for the community.”
Q: You said that part of your message to the team was about avoiding distractions. Does that message have anything to do with what all has gone on this offseason?
HUNT: “It’s nothing specific to this offseason. I just think that we as an organization can feel it that the players, the coaches, everybody in the organization have a lot of people reaching out to them, a lot of people asking them about the potential of a three-peat. Really to be successful in the National Football League you’ve got to focus on the task at hand, which is the next team you’re playing. I also mentioned last night that like last year, every team we play is going to give us their best shot. When you’re the defending champion, that game is really important for the teams that you play. They circle it on their calendar as a chance to take out the defending champion. It was really more just geared towards managing the distractions during the season, focusing on tasks at hand, making sure you’re present each day and give your very best.”
Q: Are you able to appreciate that you’re starting another camp after what the organization has recently accomplished? Are you able to sit back and really appreciate what this franchise has done overall?
HUNT: “We definitely are as an organization and as a family. I think the 50 years between Super Bowls probably laid the foundation for us to have that appreciation. We were thrilled five years ago to make it to Super Bowl LIV and win it. We certainly hoped that there would be more in the future, but I might be lying if I told you I thought there’d be two more in the next three or four years. It’s been a very special period, it’s not lost on me. But again, if we get too much into thinking about the past and how successful and how good we’ve been, we’re going to have a really hard time being successful going forward.”
Q: Since the first stadium vote, you now have more options on where to go. Has that first voting period taught you what you want to see regarding a renovated stadium?
HUNT: “As I mentioned, our goal was to find a solution that’s great for the community. I do think a renovated GEHA Field at Arrowhead would be a very good solution. I also think a new stadium and what that could bring to the community in terms of really big events, I think that could be really valuable. As we go into this process, we’re doing it very much with an open mind and to look at all the possibilities. Obviously, we have the pleasure every year of playing in a lot of great stadiums, some of which have been recently renovated, some that are brand new – a lot of dome buildings – and we always use those opportunities to tour those buildings and think about, ‘Ok, what can we incorporate whichever direction we end up going?’”
Q: On a possible upcoming suspension for Rashee Rice.
HUNT: “There’s nothing going on with the league at this point. Their standard protocol is to let the legal process play out, and then they’ll begin their investigation at that point. I can’t really project when we’ll have those conversations.”
Q: Have the physical preparations started at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to prepare for the World Cup? What’s the timeline there?
HUNT: “We started that process right after this past football season. We did some things that I would describe more as infrastructure that will need to support the field. We’re in the design phase on what we’ll have to ultimately do to the bowl to accommodate the larger soccer field. That construction process will start immediately after the football season next year. It’ll go throughout the offseason and then we’ll pick it up in the winter/spring of 2026 to complete what needs to be done.”
Q: So basically, what the fans will notice about the stadium this upcoming season is that nothing has visibly changed compared to last year?
HUNT: “Yeah. There will be no difference to the stadium from a fan’s perspective this year. Our goal as we go through this process is for our fans for Chiefs games to not notice what we’ve done to the stadium. That’s a big part of our effort to make sure that the experience isn’t lost for our Season Ticket Holders.”
Chiefs Coordinator Quotes
July 22, 2024
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO
Q: What do you like about Jaden Hicks so far just being able to move him around?
SPAGNUOLO: “You know one of the things that sticks out about Jaden (Hicks) is that he’s tall and long. Yeah, he’s playing a bunch of different positions, it’s kind of – he’s going through what Chamarri Conner went through last year where you’re trying to learn everything and the volume of the defense and yet he’s not just learning one spot. I mean J-Reid (Justin Reid) you know we’re not going to have for a little bit here, and so it’s a blessing and curse, right? J-Reid doesn’t get the reps, but somebody else gets those reps and right now it's Jaden that’s benefitting from it.”
Q: With the absence of Titans CB L'Jarius Sneed, is Trent McDuffie stepping into that leadership role?
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, we’ll see how that goes, I mean obviously you guys know that almost every game we had (Titans CB) LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) travel with the quote-on-quote top receiver - whether we do that or not with Trent we’ll see. It will just be a game-by-game plan – we’ll see who the other corner is, who the nickel is, there’s still a lot of unknowns right now. We got some work to do back there. We certainly miss LJ. I miss him every day.”
Q: Pro Football Writers of America’s recognized you for lifetime achievement award this year, what does that mean to you?
SPAGNUOLO: “Thanks Matt (McMullen). I’m glad you brought that up because first of all I was humbled, shocked, humbled and concerned. When you get an award that says lifetime achievement on it – it means you’re getting old, right? I do want to say this because – we’ve got (Senior Director of Communications and Administration) Cyd (Cydney Glaze), and (VP of Football Communications) Brad (Gee) and (Chicago Bears Special Advisor to the President/CEO and Chief Administrative Officer) Ted (Crews) – filled me in on the whole thing. I know that there’s some people in here that are involved in that, so I want to say thank you to those (people) because I know that doesn’t happen unless there’s some kind of support. Here’s the other thing I know about that kind of reward – it’s a team sport and when you get an individual award that means you were around really good people – on good teams, good coaches, (and) good players, so that’s not lost on me. So thanks Matt because I did want to thank the people who helped out on that.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
July 22, 2024
LB NICK BOLTON
Q: After losing Saints LB Willie Gay, Titans CB L‘Jarius Sneed and Bills S Mike Edwards besides what they gave on the field, how much do you lose in leadership and how much do guys like you have to step in and fill that void?
BOLTON: “Yeah, I think that those guys obviously meant a lot to our team – a huge chunk of our personality, that personality changes year to year. We got a lot of guys that have been waiting to thrive in these moments – Bryan Cook, Chamarri (Conner) is evolving in his role, J-Reid (Justin Reid) coming back, we got Drue (Tranquill) that came back from last year, Leo (Chenal) is kind of emerging as one of those guys who have been a little more vocal as he gets more comfortable. I think it takes a little bit of everybody to kind of build a personality of a team and I kind of think that’s what training camp is for – like you find out what your personality is, find out what your DNA is and find out what you're made of.”
Q: Defensive Coordinator Coach Steve Spagnuolo emphasized trying to deflect balls in your meetings and it showed up today. How much of an emphasis is that just going towards everybody?
BOLTON: “Yeah, we just got to compete. I think the first day in offense got after us a little bit. They’re completing a lot of deep passes. Just to watch the tape (and) going to be real with ourselves based on where we were last year - that’s not what we were yesterday, so getting back to what we would like to do – like get hands on footballs, pressure, winning one-on-ones and just finding ways to make plays on the ball, force turnovers, we were I think 27th last year so we harped on that day one, just try to force more turnovers and get the ball back to Pat (Mahomes) and them and kind of see what they can do with it from there.”
Q: As a defense, how much pride do you guys take in setting the tone out on the field?