NFL fans have questioned Travis Kelce’s motivation ahead of the Super Bowl after he broke his own rules to head out on a double date with Taylor Swift and the Mahomes’.
Last year, before the big game in Las Vegas, Kelce shared his strong views on whether or not a player should head out and about in the build-up to the season finale.
Speaking to millions of listeners on his New Heights podcast, the Chiefs star told his brother Jason: ‘We’ve got one week, we do what we need to do then we can party in Vegas for the rest of our lives.’
Twelve months on, Kelce was spotted out for dinner with his girlfriend Swift, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany, less than 48 hours out from the biggest game of his career.
Social media was flooded with opinions on the surprise outing in New Orleans, with one fan labeling Kelce ‘unfocused’.
Another added: ‘Bad look. Kelce supposed to be locked in and watching film. I’m sure that outing could have waited.’
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were swarmed by fans as they left New Orleans’ Lilette restaurant
The pair were flanked by security as they left the popular eatery on Friday night
Kelce waved to fans, but some have questioned his motivation ahead of the Super Bowl
A third – who prefaced their views by claiming ‘I’m not a football fan or a celebrity fan’, commented: ‘Normally the players do not go out the week before they are playing in the Super Bowl because of how seriously they take the game, or so I’m told. Even saw an old clip of that Kelce guy saying that.’
Pictures emerged late on Friday night of the superstar quartet leaving Lilette, a popular restaurant on New Orleans’ Magazine Street.
After word got out of their visit, hundreds of fans had gathered outside, creating a raucous atmosphere as the players and their other halves left to get into cars after their meal.
The images were also the first of Taylor Swift since she touched down in New Orleans for the big game, a year after she endured a mad dash from her Eras Tour show in Tokyo to Las Vegas on the day of the game.
This year it appears she is able to take in more of the big game buildup, spending a few days in the city before she is joined by a host of celebrity friends in the Superdome’s VIP suites.
Patrick and Brittany Mahomes were also in attendance for a New Orleans double date
Last year in Las Vegas, Kelce was strong in his opinion that players should focus pre-game
Swift stunned in a black dress as she joined her man less than 48 hours before the Super Bowl
Friday night’s night out in NOLA comes just days after reports Swift claimed Swift is ‘worried’ that her presence in the city could deflect from Kelce and the Chiefs’ Super Bowl three-peat aims.
According to The Sun, Swift wants the game – and the build-up to it – to be all about Kelce and his team, especially if they make history.
‘Taylor doesn’t want to be the center of attention,’ a source was quoted as saying. ‘She just wants to support Travis and help him focus on the game.
The foursome are no strangers to a double date after previously heading to the US Open in NYC
Kelce was at practice on Thursday, but on Friday night took some time out for dinner with Swift
Swift is a regular guest in the VIP suites at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City
‘She wants Travis to enjoy his Super Bowl week experience and be at 110% for Sunday, as she is dreaming about him making Super Bowl history and reaching another dream of his, winning another Super Bowl and making a three-peat.’
It is unclear whether Swift – and indeed Brittany Mahomes – will see their men again before Sunday, with the players all staying together in a hotel.
The Chiefs team are staying at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street, right in the heart of the city and just one mile away from the 83,000-seater Superdome where Sunday’s game will take place.
