Goodell’s message to critics of Taylor Swift’s interest in Kelce & NFL: Nonsense
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded Monday to questions on such weighty issues as player safety, hiring diversity and the league’s officiating at his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference.
But arguably the most popular topics involved an NFL newcomer making a league-wide impact:
Taylor Swift.
Goodell fielded four questions about the pop music icon who has been drawn to the league through her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Some have called it the Taylor Swift effect, contributing to higher ratings and new interest in the Chiefs and NFL, especially among young females.
Bring it on, Goodell said.
“Having a Taylor Swift effect is a positive,” Goodell said. “Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people and they seem very happy. It creates a buzz. It creates another group of young fans, particularly young women who are interested in seeing why she’s going to this game.”
Goodell addressed the blowback from some NFL fans regarding Swift’s presence at many Chiefs games. She’s often shown on camera (her screen time during the Chiefs’ victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game was tracked at 44 seconds).
Some have decided that Swift’s interest in Kelce is a plot to get President Joe Biden re-elected, even calling her a government “psyop.”
Goodell scoffed at that notion.
“The idea that this was in a script and pre-planned, that’s just nonsense,” Goodell said. “Frankly, it’s not even worth talking about. We see two people are really happy together. They’re having fun together. I think that’s wonderful and I wish them well.”
On NFL officiating, Goodell used a call in the Chiefs’ 20-17 regular season loss to the Buffalo Bills to defend his crews.
The play: A late Chiefs touchdown, on a pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce, who lateraled the ball to Kadrius Toney, didn’t count. Toney was ruled to have lined up offside and replays confirmed the infraction.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes were vocal in their criticism, saying players often are warned by a nearby official if they’re beyond the line — and Toney wasn’t warned.
Goodell countered that the NFL got it right.
“Absolutely the right all,” the commissioner said. “There was criticism and it was unfounded. If they had not called that, there would have been criticism. (But) even when the official get it’s right, there’s criticism.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Goodell’s message to critics of Taylor Swift’s interest in Kelce & NFL: Nonsense."