Taylor Swift’s impact on Travis Kelce, on and off the field, has turned the NFL star into “a different man,” according to Chiefs’ defensive coach Dave Merritt.
Merritt, 52, appeared on a new episode of The Sports Shop Podcast With Reese & K-Mac, where he discussed the “Karma” singer’s positive influence on Kelce, 34. “I felt like she actually added to what it was that we were trying to do,” Merritt began. Explaining that “because there were so many people that were hating the fact that she was being shown on the TV,” the Chiefs players and coaches embraced her as “part of our family because you’re with Travis.”
“So, therefore, you’re our little sister…. You’re part of our family,” Merritt continued. The Kansas City defensive coach said that Swift “actually affected the team in a positive way” during their season. “It wasn’t a negative way. Everybody was excited and Travis was happy. So when my player, a brother, is happy beside me, that helps me and that encourages me, and so Travis came in there a different man. So, she helped us.”
Merritt’s praise for Swift comes shortly after Chiefs’ wide receiver Mecole Hardman revealed what Swift said to him just after he made the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII.
“She was like… ‘Good job, proud of you, good game — man, it was crazy,’” Hardman, 25, said of his conversation with the pop star during a recent episode of The Pivot Podcast. Hardman admitted that with all of the excitement surrounding the win, he couldn’t remember all of their discussion verbatim. However, he knew Swift called his hands “magical,” adding that he’d previously shown her a card trick.
The wide receiver also referred to hanging out with Kelce and his famous girlfriend as “so cool.” “When we leave, I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s Taylor Swift,’ ” he quipped.
Swift was spotted at a Kansas City Chiefs game for the first time on Sept. 24 when the team defeated the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium. She made 13 public appearances in support of her NFL star beau, ending her season with a Super Bowl win when the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
