The Shady Side Of Travis Kelce

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is an accomplished NFL star and a three-time Super Bowl Champion. In addition to his professional accomplishments, including hosting a popular podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, Travis is known for his lovable yet boisterous personality and uber-daring style that never fails to inspire chitchat on social media. And while no one ever wants to be reduced to their romantic status, at present, Travis is best known for his whirlwind relationship with Taylor Swift, which has dominated headlines since they decided to share their new romance with the world last summer.

That said, Travis also has a shady side that's generated some pretty negative press attention. For example, Kelce verbally ripped into coach Andy Reid during Super Bowl LVIII. According to The New York Post, Travis showed major aggression with the 65-year-old coach when he, according to a lip reader, urged him not to cast him aside in the game. "Hey, come on, you f***er, put me on," Travis reportedly said. He also made physical contact with the coach. Although Travis later downplayed the tense moment by joking that he was professing his love for Reid, social media didn't take kindly to Kelce's meltdown, with one fan tweeting, "Travis Kelce should be ASHAMED of himself for assaulting Andy Reid like this on NATIONAL TV. He is a grown man. SHOW SOME RESPECT..."

Unfortunately, Travis' shady antics don't end there.

Green Bay Packers star Jonathan Owens spent the last part of 2023 getting reminded that his wife, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, has a much larger, more devoted fanbase. Unfortunately for Owens, Travis kept that shade train rolling into January 2024 by seemingly being apathetic about Owens' athletic ability during an episode of his "New Heights" podcast. During a conversation about People's Choice "Athlete of the Year" award, Travis's co-host, Jason Kelce, inquired: "How is Simone Biles on this, but her boyfriend isn't?" Travis responded, "Owens? Played some good ball over there, I guess." While his comment wasn't exactly a diss, it definitely didn't seem that Owens made much of an impact on Travis. And he certainly let it be known!

Interestingly, Travis didn't receive much pushback for his comments. As previously stated, over the past few months, Owens hasn't exactly been the most popular with fans who thought that his past comments about being the more desirable partner in their relationship were embarrassing to Biles. "I always say that the men are the catch," Owens said during "The Pivot" podcast. "She did [pull me], though, because I was fighting it. ... At the time, I was afraid to commit. I was like, 'This is my third year [in the NFL], I'm trying ... it's kind of early,' but, you know, it happens when you least expect it."

Travis Kelce's decision to promote the Pfizer vaccine garnered criticism from New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers, who graced him with the nickname Mr. Pfizer. Rogers, who has a well-documented history as being anti-Pfizer, called Kelce "Mr. Pfizer" during an October 2023 appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." Kelce initially took the jab in jest. "I thought it was pretty good. With the mustache, I look like someone named Mr. Pfizer," said Kelce during at a press conference. However, Kelceo also threw shade at Rodgers, who's affiliated with Johnson and Johnson — another vaccine-producing company — through his team's owners. "Who knew I'd get into vax wars with Aaron Rodgers, man? Mr. Pfizer against the Johnson and Johnson family over there," Kelce added.

Eventually, Kelce attempted to end their feud during an episode of his podcast by kindly declining an invitation to debate their stances on a public platform. "I didn't think it was as much of a shot," Kelce said about the debate on the "Paper Route" podcast. "He has his ways. He has his thoughts — how he feels about things. He has a right to have that. How you feel about certain things is up to you, man." Kelce continued, To each his own. I think he was just having fun with it, but I'm no debater, man." Kelce also stressed that there was zero chance he'd ever debate Rodgers in any official capacity. "It's all fun and games, at least between us," he added. "I got all the respect for him."

Things can get heated when football players hit the field, and that was made clear during the 2024 AFC Championship. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens were going head to head for a chance to land a spot in the Super Bowl, and before the game even started, Travis Kelce was ruffling Ravens kicker Justin Tucker's feathers. A video of Kelce went viral after he tossed Tucker's helmet and the footballs he was practicing with for the big game. Online users called out Kelce for his disrespectful behavior. One person tweeted, "Typical 12 year old response from kelce."

A day after the game, Tucker spoke on the situation with reporters and revealed that he felt the subtle dig on Kelce's part was all "gamesmanship," per CBS Sports. Tucker didn't seem to take it too seriously, but even days later, Kelce doubled down on his actions.

The tight end revealed on the "New Heights" podcast that he tossed Tucker's gear because he was on the Chiefs' end of the field and not with the rest of his team on the opposite side. "If you want to be a f***ing d*** about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your f***ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up," he said. "If you're not going to pick that up, I'll happily move that for you." Kelce felt Tucker was taunting them, and he wasn't going to let that slide.

Travis Kelce isn't afraid to share his thoughts, and many Swifties believe he threw shade at Taylor Swift's ex, Joe Alwyn. Kelce and Swift's relationship has been the opposite of her previous relationship with Alwyn. Instead of hiding in the shadows, Kelce and Swift have embraced the attention from the public. He spoke about this with The Wall Street Journal. 

"The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day, paparazzi outside her house, outside every restaurant she goes to, after every flight she gets off, and she's just living, enjoying life," he said. "When she acts like that, I better not be the one acting all strange." Kelce's statement about how he shouldn't be the one "acting all strange" made many Swifties believe that this was a dig at Alwyn, who avoided the spotlight at all costs.

Online users spread the theory that Kelce for supposedly throwing shade at Alwyn, and the majority were thrilled with the dig. One user tweeted, "'I better not be the one acting strange' I'm not even a joe hater and I know he ate him up." Many loved to see Kelce embracing Swift's fame and letting her be "bejeweled." While the football star never confirmed whether the statement was geared toward a specific someone, Swifties are convinced it's about Alwyn, and they are happy that Kelce is willing to speak his mind.

It doesn't matter if you once played with Travis Kelce — if he feels attacked, he will come back ten times harder. Ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl, Kelce's former teammate Charvarius Ward, who now plays for the 49ers, took a dig at his former franchise, per Yahoo Sports. Since 2018, Ward had been a part of the Chiefs and even won the Super Bowl against the 49ers in 2020, but after being traded in 2022, he is now all about San Francisco. When asked about playing for the 49ers, he told reporters, "It's better over here." Football fans knew this was shade toward his last team –- the Chiefs -– and his response reached Kelce, who came back with a dig of his own.

After hearing what Ward said, Kelce made a snarky remark back. The Chiefs tight end told reporters (via @PJGreenTV on X), "He's [Ward] liking it over there a little bit more, so hopefully we can get this win and make him miss Kansas City just a little bit." Unfortunately for Ward, Kelce kept true to his promise. In a thrilling overtime Super Bowl game, the Chiefs came on top as they beat the 49ers for the coveted title. Ward took to X to share his appreciation for the opportunity to take on the big game despite the outcome. He said, "All Praise to GOD. Still blessed. Thankful for my life & who I am."