Los Angeles Chargers defender Teair Tart has poked fun at his slap on Travis Kelce after being bombarded with messages from angry Taylor Swift fans.
Kelce escaped unhurt despite being smacked in the face as tensions threatened to spill over during the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening NFL loss to the Chargers in Brazil.
The pair came to blows after the Chiefs star blocked Tart on a drive for his team that would end with a Patrick Mahomes touchdown, before the 6ft 2in, 315-pound Chargers tackle seemed to take exception with how hard he was pushing him.
When he let go, he stared back at Kelce before striking him across the helmet with an open palm in a shocking moment which quickly went viral.
Swift’s die-hard legion of fans wasted no time in pulling up Tart’s Instagram account and flooding his photos with furious comments about his slap on their beloved singer’s fiance, with one accusing him of ‘horrible sportsmanship’.
Another wrote: ‘Tart, you should’ve got ejected and suspended. You’re a piece [of] s***!’
Los Angeles Chargers defender Teair Tart has poked fun at his viral slap on Travis Kelce
Tart reposted a famous Dave Chappelle skit depicting Rick James slapping Charlie Murphy
While a third commented: ‘You’ve officially made children who previously looked up to you hate you. How pathetic that you can’t control your anger.
‘Sorry you suck buddy. You’ll never be one of the great players that children aspire to be, your legacy is now that pathetic guy with zero control’.
And amid the outrage from Swifties, Tart added fuel to the fire by reposting a famous Dave Chappelle skit depicting American singer and songwriter Rick James slapping comedian Charlie Murphy.
He shared the skit – which sees Chappelle’s fictional James character ask Murphy ‘what did the five fingers say to the face?’ before smacking him – along with two laughing emojis in a clear reference to his altercation with Kelce.
Tart also received support from a number of NFL fans on several of his Instagram photos.
One wrote: ‘There’s no way the swifties are in this comment section – hating on a grown man is crazy’.
‘The Swiftie mind cannot comprehend the agility of a 300 pound ASA College Legend,’ joked another.
Taylor Swift fans were left furious with his slap on Kelce and took to Instagram to criticize him
The 6ft 2in, 315-pound Chargers defensive tackle is clearly unfazed by the Swiftie outrage
Kelce suffered a miserable return as the Chiefs lost to the Chargers in Brazil on Friday night
A third also mocked Swift’s fanbase by putting: ‘”How dare you mess with our fiance?”‘
Tart’s open-palm slap actually saved him from being ejected from the game. Had it been a clenched fist, the rules would have forced the referees to remove him.
And how lucky he and his team were that the punishment was not greater, as the Chargers giant would later make a huge intervention to protect their lead on the way to a 27-21 win.
Kelce appeared unharmed and didn’t react with any anger to Tart’s hit. Instead, he shrugged and turned to the referees, appealing for them to take action.
