Many Kansas City Chiefs fans are looking for someone to blame for All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce’s slow start three games into the 2024 season, and naturally the first person who comes to mind is Kelce’s girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift.
Kelce has taken a beating this week in the media for another poor performance in Kansas City’s 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on “Sunday Night Football” — a game in which Kelce had just four receptions for 30 yards and wasn’t much of a factor.
Several media pundits have claimed that Swift is a distraction for Kelce due to the high-profile nature of their relationship and their highly publicized public appearances together.
However, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid isn’t buying it, and he defended Kelce from the seemingly growing number of anti-Swift Chiefs fans who are not happy with Kelce’s output (eight catches, 69 yards) through the first three games.
“I know people are saying that he’s old or that he has distractions (meaning Swift), but defenses don’t think that,” Reid told reporters on Wednesday. “Trav is fine. He just keeps being Trav. He works his tail off. He hasn’t lost a step. He’s not distracted. [The defenses we’ve played] are making sure he’s taken care of.”
Whether Reid truly believes Swift isn’t a distraction for his star tight end remains to be seen, but no one should be surprised Reid had a politically correct response to the situation or that he defended Kelce from those ripping him for prioritizing his relationship over his NFL career.
Kelce himself addressed the situation as well on his “New Heights” podcast on Wednesday, essentially saying the media is blowing things way out of proportion.
“[If my season doesn’t turn around], as long as we winning football games, we’re good to go baby,” Kelce said.
