Chiefs' Tyrann Mathieu apologizes for social media comments

The Chiefs' player back tracked on his recent criticism of the team's fans

Chiefs' Tyrann Mathieu apologizes

Safety Tyrann Mathieu apologized for recent comments that he posted on social media. Speaking after Saturday's practice session Mathieu said, "That was a mistake on my part."

Mathieu went on to say, "I haven't had the season I've wanted to have, and as a team I think you could say the same." The Chiefs have not got off to their best start as they currently have a 3-4 record, although they were considered preseason favorites to be AFC Champions. "Frustration tends to build up. Obviously people that really know me - teammates, people I deal with in the community, even fans that I come across in the gas station - I think these people can see me being a genuine person. Obviously, I shouldn't have used those choices of words. I'm looking forward to playing better and doing better and most importantly not being a distraction to my teammates."

The comments in question were in response to an Instagram post which was critical of the Chiefs. Mathieu responded at the time calling the Chiefs' fans, "one of the most toxic fan bases in all of sports."

Mathieu wants to finish career as a Chief

This isn't the first time Mathieu has had a back and forth with fans on social media. The Super Bowl winner also alluded to the fact that he would change his manner of interaction on social media, "That's one of the things I would like to grow in," he said. "Obviously I've got to do a better job of dealing with the negativity. There's a time and a place for everything." Mathieu went on to say that recent events had in no way affected his desire to finish his career with the Chiefs. "I'm all-in on Kansas City, I'm all-in on my teammates, I try my best to be all-in on the community," he said. "I don't think I can paint a clearer picture that I want to be here."

Coach Andy Reid gives his thoughts

Following Mathieu's after training on Saturday, coach Andy Reid also weighed in on the situation, saying he actually preferred his players to refrain from using social media. "These are emotional guys that love being Chiefs,” Reid stated. “They take a lot of pride in each other. They protect each other and they do that whole thing. I do tell them, [social media] is a dangerous area, though, and we make that very clear. You’re really just talking to one guy, but now you’re talking to the whole world, and so we’ve got to do a better job with that in this case. I think Tyrann just told you that, and that’s how we address them prior to - during - training camp, we try to educate them on that. That’s a tough deal, though. As you know, in this day and age, I’m not real big on the whole thing, period.”