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Ex-ESPN analyst Todd McShay has accused Travis Kelce of “partying all offseason” with Taylor Swift amid his poor football performance.
The sports commentator, 47, shared his candid thoughts about the Kansas City Chiefs’ performance this season – following his recent game against the Atlanta Falcons – during an episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast that aired on Monday (September 23).
“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape?” McShay said about Kelce.
He went on to criticize the NFL star for how he’s been spending his time when it’s not football season, including attending the US Open earlier this month with his girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
“He’s been partying all offseason. He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world,” McShay added. “That he’s drinking, going to the US Open, he’s got cocktails in it.”
However, podcast host Ryen Russillo came to Kelce’s defense, noting there’s a “difference between having a drinking at the US Open” and letting drinking impact the athlete’s career. McShay then clarified his remarks, as he compared Kelce’s current and previous appearances.
“I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024, they’re barely the same human being,” he added. “Why isn’t he a part of the offense? Here’s the thing, bottom line with Kelce: The coverage and the respect he gets is the same, the athlete is not.”
Still, McShay acknowledged that Kelce’s performance could change, noting that he could “work himself into shape during the season.”
“He’s an unbelievable competitor, he’s one of the best to ever do it and he still finds a way to make a play or two here and there and shows up in some clutch moments, but he’s not the same guy right now,” he added, before emphasizing that he doesn’t see the same “explosiveness” in Kelce’s performance that he saw before.
“I see him wearing down a little bit in games, it’s OK, he’ll work himself back into shape, it’s not the first guy ever who’s not quite in the elite shape that he was,” the sports analyst continued.
Throughout his first three games of this season, Kelce has only caught eight passes for a total of 69 years, without scoring a single touchdown. In his 2022 season, by comparison, he amassed 184 receiving yards on 17 receptions within the first three games. He ended the season with career highs in receptions (110), receiving yards (1,338), and touchdowns (12).
After McShay made those comments, Kelce’s teammates quickly came to his defense. During an interview with TMZ Sports, Chiefs pass runner George Karlaftis explained that the tight end “hasn’t missed a beat” on the field.
“He’s a guy that loves football,” Karlaftis said. “He’s going to come and work his tail off every single day no matter what.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also defended his friend during a press conference on September 23. “The respect factor [teams] have for Travis is unreal. It’s well deserved,” he said during the conference. “We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it’s like two or three people going to him.”
Kelce’s mother – Donna Kelce – chimed in about the criticism towards her son, saying “it’s tough” to constantly hear.
“You know, I don’t think they realize the pressure that people are under, whether they’re athletes or professionals that are in front of the camera. And it’s just very difficult, there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes,” she said during an interview with People. “You don’t realize how many times people are trying to keep you from catching the ball, or trying to trip you up or hit you… so it’s kinda hard when you’ve got people that are in your face 24/7.”
During a new episode of his podcast, New Heights – which aired on September 25 – Kelce himself didn’t hesitate to address the scrutiny about his performance.
“We’re finding ways to win games, but we’re not playing our best football,” he told his brother and podcast co-host, Jason Kelce. “Everybody can clean it up. I think everyone saw my drop in the fourth quarter with that crucial third down.”
He confessed that during the game, he was “trying to do too much before putting the ball away.” So, he’s now working on “making the play in big-time moments.”
“I think with how defenses are playing us right now, I’m not really getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field, but not using that as an excuse,” he said. “[I’m] still trying to make sure that I can help the team out in that regard.”
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