Houston Mayor John Whitmire is a man of his word. He has made good on his friendly wager with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, shipping a spread of Houston’s best barbecue and Mexican food to Kansas City following the Chiefs’ victory over the Texans in last Saturday’s playoff game.
Last week, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas made a friendly wager with Mayor Whitmire ahead of the AFC divisional round playoff game between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mayor Lucas offered to send Whitmire Kansas City’s LC’s Bar-B-Q if the Texans won.
In response, Mayor Whitmire raised the stakes, offering to send Mayor Lucas Houston’s Pappas BBQ, along with Irma’s Original Mexican Food.
@MayorLucasKC , I accept your wager and offer some delicious Pappas BBQ in return, and will raise it with some of Irma’s original Mexican food. Don’t set your table just yet, we look forward to the game tomorrow against the @Chiefs . Go @HoustonTexans !!! pic.twitter.com/mESYxW67mW
— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) January 17, 2025
The food delivery, which included Pappas Bar-B-Q and Irma’s Original Mexican Food, was sent off with a message for the game’s referees, whose controversial calls during the game raised eyebrows among Texans fans.
“I just made one request to the mayor: that he share these delicious foods with the referees,” Whitmire said during a media availability at City Hall on Friday. “I didn’t necessarily tell him the proportions to share, but I think, probably representing Houstonians’ opinion, he owes about half of the food to the refs.”
The two most egregious examples were 15-yard penalties that benefited the Chiefs. There was a brutal roughing-the-passer penalty against Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. in the first quarter that extended a Chiefs’ drive after a third down stop. In the third quarter, the Texans were burned by an unnecessary roughness penalty called after Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi appeared to hit each other’s helmets rather than the scrambling Patrick Mahomes.
“Let the players decide the outcome of the game,” Whitmire added. “That’s all I’m going to say. We’re disappointed in the outcome, but Houston came together, and the Texans represented us so well. We’re already looking forward to next season.”
Whitmire emphasized the significance of the two Houston establishments chosen for the bet. “These two families, the Pappas family and Irma’s family, are really icons in the city of Houston,” he said. “I could have picked from 100 other barbecue places or Mexican food restaurants, but these two represent the heart of our city.”
The mayor noted that while the outcome of the game was disappointing, the friendly wager showcased Houston’s spirit and resilience.
“This is all in good fun,” he said. “But there’s a message there: let the players decide the game. We’re proud of how the Texans played, and we’re ready for next year.”
As the barbecue and Mexican food made its way to Kansas City, Mayor Whitmire reflected on the Texans’ season and the city’s support for the team.
“Houston is a great city with great people,” he said. “We played a great game, and we’ll be back next season stronger than ever.”
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