Drake Maye has spent the week being praised for his performance against the Buffalo Bills.
Now, the New England Patriots quarterback has caught the attention of someone considerably farther removed from the NFL.
The head of NASA.
What began as an unexpected admission during Maye’s weekly appearance on WEEI has turned into a viral exchange after the 24-year-old revealed he isn’t entirely convinced the United States landed astronauts on the moon in 1969.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman apparently couldn’t resist responding.
“I quite literally have the receipts,” Isaacman wrote on X after seeing a clip of Maye’s comments.
It was a pointed, five-word response to a quarterback who had just helped deliver New England’s biggest win of the season.
And it wasn’t exactly the kind of attention Maye was expecting to generate during a routine radio appearance.
NASA Administrator Responds to Drake Maye’s Moon Landing Doubts
Maye’s comments came Monday, Oct. 5, during an appearance on WEEI, one day after the Patriots defeated the Bills 29-26 in Buffalo.
The conversation took an unusual turn when the subject of the Apollo 11 moon landing came up.
“I don’t know about the moon, you know,” Maye said. “I think I can see back in the day why we would put on the mask if we went there, but I’m not really sure 200 percent if we went there or not.”
Maye wasn’t ready to commit to either side of the debate.
“I wouldn’t say I’m leaning one way or the other. I just know I’m a little bit skeptical,” he added.
The Patriots quarterback also offered some background on his interest in conspiracy theories, explaining that he studied the subject while attending the University of North Carolina.
“They studied [Adolf] Hitler being alive, and, ‘Are birds real?’ — some of the classic ones that you hear about,” Maye said.
It didn’t take long for those remarks to travel well beyond New England sports radio.
Boston 25 News shared a clip of Maye discussing the moon landing on X, where Isaacman responded with his comment about having the receipts.
And unlike the average person weighing in on a moon landing conspiracy theory, Isaacman happens to run the agency responsible for putting Americans on the lunar surface.
Apollo 11 landed on the moon July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first two people to walk on its surface, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit.
The mission left behind an extensive scientific record, including photographs, lunar samples and equipment that continues to provide evidence of the Apollo program’s achievements.
Maye, for his part, didn’t offer any evidence that the landing was staged. He simply acknowledged having doubts about an event that occurred more than three decades before he was born.
That was apparently enough to get NASA involved.
Drake Maye’s Viral Comments Follow Patriots’ Biggest Win of Season
The timing of the exchange makes the story even more unusual.
Only days earlier, Maye had given Patriots fans plenty to celebrate with a performance that helped New England pull off a road victory over its AFC East rival.
The quarterback completed 22 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns against Buffalo, overcoming two first-half turnovers to help the Patriots improve to 2-2.
His final touchdown pass was also his most memorable.
With less than two minutes remaining, Maye connected with wide receiver Efton Chism III on a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch that helped New England secure its 29-26 victory.
It was a much-needed afternoon for Maye, who had entered the matchup facing criticism over his turnover problems and New England’s 1-2 start.
Even after the win, Maye wasn’t pretending everything had been fixed.
“It’s relieving a little bit,” he said afterward. “I know I’ve got to play better and still left some stuff out there today. But we’ve got to build on it.”
That remains the priority for Maye and the Patriots as they prepare to host the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Las Vegas enters the matchup at 3-1, while New England has an opportunity to climb above .500 for the first time this season.
For Mike Vrabel and the Patriots, the focus is on carrying Sunday’s momentum into another important game.
For Maye, it has also been a reminder that when you’re an NFL quarterback, even an offhand comment about something that happened in 1969 can become national news.
Especially when the person responding has NASA on his résumé.
NASA Administrator Fires Back at Patriots’ Drake Maye Over Moon Landing Comments