Patrick Mahomes voice: Travis Kelce once threw shots at the Kansas City Chiefs QB as the Las Vegas Raiders mocked him with a Kermit the Frog puppet

According to Guancheng Wei, Patrick Mahomes’ voice has even been compared to Donald Duck’s. Behind the jokes, however, is a more personal story.In seventh grade, classmates reportedly mocked and imitated Mahomes’ voice, calling him “Duck.” The experience reportedly affected his confidence, and for a long time, he avoided speaking because of the attention his voice attracted.As he grew older, Mahomes slowly accepted that his voice was simply a part of who he was. Still, the imitations followed him into the NFL. Travis Kelce has occasionally mocked Mahomes’ voice for laughs, while teammates have even held contests to see who could produce the best imitation of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback.What may once have felt like a source of embarrassment has now become something Mahomes handles calmly. And his distinctive voice may even have an advantage on the gridiron, as teammates can reportedly hear his commands clearly amid stadium noise.Why does Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes sound like that?According to USA TODAY NEWS, Patrick Mahomes’ raspy voice has frequently been compared to Kermit the Frog. His voice has been the subject of jokes for years, and even his former High School coach, Reno Moore, remembered Mahomes trying to disguise it as a teenager by deepening his voice to change how he sounded.Experts say changes in how a person speaks are possible. Dr. Randal Paniello, a renowned voice and airway specialist, explained that changing tongue position could alter Mahomes’ tone. Both non-surgical and surgical methods can modify vocal pitch, although a permanent change may require considerable practice.Brendan Houdek, a licensed speech-language pathologist and voice coach, has worked with clients with voices similar to Mahomes’ and said some people can see results after just a few sessions.Dr. Steven Zeitels suggested that Mahomes’ vocal quality could be influenced by the shape of his nose and mouth rather than his vocal cords. The strain from years of calling plays could also contribute to his deep, sometimes rumbling voice. Although Zeitels has not examined Mahomes personally, he believes the quarterback’s distinctive tone is largely a product of his anatomy.Travis Kelce and the Raiders have all joined the voice jokesMahomes has also shown that he can take the jokes in stride.Travis Kelce has occasionally poked fun at his quarterback’s distinctive voice, while former Chiefs teammate Tyreek Hill has also been part of the light-hearted teasing over the years. But perhaps one of the most memorable jokes came from the Las Vegas Raiders.The Raiders once trolled Mahomes with a Kermit the Frog puppet dressed in a Kansas City Chiefs jersey. Mahomes did not appear to let the joke bother him. Instead, he responded the way he knows best: on the football field.Mahomes and the Chiefs defeated the Raiders twice during the regular season, giving the quarterback a fitting response to the trolling. After an AFC Championship victory, Mahomes even posted an image of Kermit the Frog sipping tea with the caption, “I’ll see y’all in New Orleans.”According to USA TODAY, Mahomes may never completely escape the Kermit comparisons. However, former Kermit voice actor Steve Whitmire once offered a humorous consolation: at least Mahomes does not sound like Miss Piggy.Patrick Mahomes has learned to embrace his voiceKansas City Star’s Vahe Gregorian wrote in October 2018 that Patrick Mahomes had been teased about his voice in seventh grade. That is often an age when voices begin to change, or when children become especially quick to notice anything that makes someone sound different.Mahomes, however, eventually learned to embrace what once made him insecure.In a 2018 interview with ESPN, Mahomes said, “It’s just something that I’ve kind of embraced.” He later explained that the key was simply being comfortable with himself.“Just being comfortable with yourself. I mean, it’s me. It’s who I am. So, I’m never going to be insecure about it. I just kind of embrace it and keep going.”For Mahomes, the voice that once made him a target of jokes has become an unmistakable part of his identity. Whether people hear Donald Duck, Kermit the Frog, or simply Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has made one thing clear: he is no longer interested in changing who he is.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.