Chiefs coach Andy Reid refutes Kadarius Toney’s claim that team ‘made up’ his injury

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney went on Instagram Live to say the Chiefs aren’t being honest about his injury designation. (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)

The Kansas City Chiefs announced Saturday that Kadarius Toney had a hip injury and wouldn’t play in the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Toney has now fired back in a brief Instagram Live clip, saying that the Chiefs are lying about his injury designation.

“Man that s*** crap,” Toney said Sunday. “I’m not hurt. None of that s***. Save that s***. … On God, not hurt. None of that. It go from hip to ankle to this to that.”

Head coach Andy Reid addressed Toney’s claim after the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game on Sunday. The consequences of that accusation could’ve been substantial for both Reid and the team as the league has previously fined organizations for improper injury information.

“He’s been on the injury report, [so] that part is not made up by any means,” Reid said on Monday.

The embattled receiver, in theory, should be elated after celebrating the birth of his first child — a daughter — on Saturday. Instead, he’s taking the Chiefs to task on social media.

Yes, the same Kansas City team that stood by him as he struggled throughout the 2023 season. Whether it was the multiple dropped passes he had in the season opener versus the Detroit Lions or when he deleted his social media following that game after he received an avalanche of criticism.

Kadarius Toney had his first child tonight. A baby girl. That’s where the personal part of his designation came from. He’s also dealing with a hip injury that is keeping him out tomorrow. https://t.co/XxkqM7qI6s

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 28, 2024

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid continued to have Toney’s back even when his offsides penalty negated the go-ahead touchdown for Kansas City against the Buffalo Bills. But things started to crack as Toney refused to take accountability and his performance on the field didn’t improve.

Especially when his fifth and final dropped pass resulted in Mahomes being intercepted by the New England Patriots in Week 15. It was the second time Toney deflected a pass and the defense intercepted it. It was also the last time that Toney played in a game.

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The Chiefs traded for Toney ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, sending conditional third- and sixth-round picks to the New York Giants. While his record-breaking, 65-yard punt return did help Kansas City win its second Super Bowl in four seasons, Toney simply hasn’t improved since landing in Missouri.

In seven games with the Chiefs in 2022, he caught for 14 of his 17 targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns — the first two scores of his career since he was drafted in 2021.

This season, however, he accounted for 27 receptions in 38 targets for 169 yards and one touchdown. As a team, Kansas City led the league in dropped passes (44), and of his targets, Toney’s drop percentage (13.2) is one of the worst in the NFL.

The Chiefs will being their preparation for the Super Bowl on Thursday, and Reid said that while Toney is “working through some things,” the receiver will be with the team for its first practice.