“The NFL is a Pretty Big Deal”: Pat McAfee & AJ Hawk React to Travis Kelce Setting the Right Example by Being ‘Noticeably Absent’ From Taylor Swift’s Birthday

Kansas City Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce was expected to be planning a big surprise for his girlfriend, Taylor Swift on her 34th birthday and some even speculated a planned proposal from the NFL star to the ‘Blank Space’ singer. Despite the expectations, Travis wasn’t present to celebrate Tay Tay’s birthday bash due to mandatory practice sessions ahead of their Week 15 matchup.

While the football fans understood Kelce’s decision as it is a pretty common drill in the NFL. Given Kelce’s exceptional skills on the field, he decided to stay with his teammates to prepare for what’s coming next. Siding with Kelce’s decisions NFL pundits Pat McAfee and A. J. Hawk lauded Travis for setting right example within the game.

On the ‘Pat McAfee Show‘, Pat and AJ discussed Travis Kelce‘s absence from Taylor Swift’s birthday party, focusing on how Entertainment Tonight covered the incident. Pat mentioned Kelce being a famous NFL payer and dating Taylor Swift has got a lot of attention for being “noticeably absent” from her star-studded bash.

However, he liked how Entertainment Tonight talked about it because “there is a whole new batch of people that are potentially following along to Travis Kelce, who have no idea that the NFL is a pretty big deal,” prompting laughter from everybody in the studio.

Adding light to the whole situation, co-host, A. J. Hawk compared Kelce’s absence to a situation where a young fifth-grader football player misses practice for a girlfriend’s birthday. He said any coach would likely not allow it because commitment to the team matters the most.

Travis Kelce Prioritized Team Practice

According to ET, Kelce prioritized attending critical and mandatory team practices, taking his commitment to playing his best on and off the field very seriously. Therefore, Kelce chose to stay in Kansas City to focus on his team duties ahead of the upcoming game rather than attending the birthday celebration. An ET source stated,

“remains committed to playing his best and doing his best on and off the field. The team practices are critical, mandatory to attend, and something he takes very seriously. So, it’s no surprise he stayed in Kansas City ahead of this weekend’s game.”

“A source tells ET that Travis Kelce is in the NFL” https://t.co/KzZA7gpLPY

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 15, 2023

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off two big back-to-back losses against the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills in the last two weeks. The Chiefs with an 8-5 record have dropped to third place in the AFC and rank seventh in the overall league standings. The Chiefs are hoping to bounce back as they face the New England Patriots in their road game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.