Need another sign that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are simply meant to be together or 鈥淭ayvis鈥� or besties or whatever it is they are?
How about this: the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end just spent Week 5 dealing with both a gnarly-looking sprained ankle and a needless dig from Aaron Rodgers the exact same way.
By 鈥� shaking it off.
How鈥檚 that song go again?
鈥淧layers gonna play, play, play, play, play
鈥淎nd the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate)
鈥淏aby, I鈥檓 just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
鈥淚 shake it off, I shake it off.鈥�
Swift may sing those words when she resumes The Eras Tour but it鈥檚 Kelce who鈥檚 living them word for word right now in front of our eyes.
Kelce鈥檚 day 鈥� and maybe season 鈥� appeared to be over late in the second quarter of the on Sunday when he went down awkwardly without being touched and limped off the field, slamming his helmet and heading down to the locker room.
Kelce didn鈥檛 return after halftime with his teammates but emerged from the tunnel just before the second-half kickoff. After standing on the Chiefs鈥� sideline for their first drive, he returned to action and played a key role in Kansas City鈥檚 fourth consecutive win.
Kelce corralled a trio of big catches from Patrick Mahomes on a touchdown drive that gave K.C. a 27-13 lead, including the 4-yard reception in the end zone after his leaping, 14-yard grab withstood a Minnesota challenge.
鈥淧retty amazing,鈥� coach Andy Reid said of Kelce鈥檚 Willis Reed moment, which came 48 hours after Kelce shook off with equal aplomb.
Proving he doesn鈥檛 just have nowadays, Kelce was the target of Rodgers, the notorious anti-vaxxer who is recovering from an Achilles tear in his Jets debut and took a dig at the Chiefs star tight end out of the blue last week, poking fun at Kelce鈥檚 promotion of flu and updated COVID-19 vaccines.
Rodgers said during his appearance on that the Jets鈥� 23-20 loss to Kansas City in Week 4 was a moral victory in 鈥渢hat we hung with the champs and that our defense played well, and Pat didn鈥檛 have a crazy game, and Mr. Pfizer, we kind of shut him down. He didn鈥檛 have his crazy impact game.鈥�
Kelce did have a team-high six catches for 60 yards, but OK, he didn鈥檛 score.
Rodgers has long been outspoken about COVID-19 and the NFL鈥檚 protocols that were in place in 2020-21, which he called draconian and designed to shame players like himself who didn鈥檛 get the shot.
He acknowledged at the time that he possibly misled the public about his vaccination status and he missed a game, coincidentally against Kelce and the Chiefs, that season when he contracted the virus. The day after he was ruled out against Kansas City, he went on McAfee鈥檚 show and questioned the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines altogether.
A week later, he said on McAfee鈥檚 show and said he didn鈥檛 intend to fuel the divide over vaccines, adding, 鈥淚 respect everybody鈥檚 opinion 鈥� I鈥檓 not gonna hate on anybody that has said things about me. I believe everybody鈥檚 entitled to their opinion. I鈥檒l always believe that.
鈥淚鈥檓 an athlete, I鈥檓 not an activist,鈥� Rodgers added, explaining he didn鈥檛 want to champion any side of the simmering debate that had expanded from doctors鈥� offices to the political sphere. 鈥淚鈥檓 gonna get back to doing what I do best, and that鈥檚 playing ball.鈥�
Without that competitive outlet two years later as he recovers from surgery, Rodgers decided to chime in on the COVID-19 issue again a couple of days after Kelce appeared in a , as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The ad, which includes Kelce鈥檚 mother, Donna, is part of a partnership with Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company which developed a vaccine in response to the pandemic.
Asked Friday if he鈥檇 heard Rodgers鈥� remarks, Kelce handled it like a public relations pro.
鈥� 鈥� Kelce said. 鈥淲ith this mustache right now I look like a guy named Mr. Pfizer. Who knew I鈥檇 get into the vax wars with Aaron Rodgers, man? Mr. Pfizer vs. the Johnson & Johnson family over there.鈥�
Jets owner Woody Johnson is a descendent of one of three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson, which also developed a vaccine for COVID-19.
Kelce said he鈥檚 an advocate of the vaccinations 鈥渂ecause of keeping myself safe, keeping my family safe, the people in this building, so yeah I stand by it 1,000%.
鈥淔ully comfortable with him calling me Mr. Pfizer.鈥�
So, who landed the best blow over this anti-jab rumpus?
Probably Pfizer, which capitalized on the row by ahead of the Chiefs鈥� game in Minneapolis featuring a blue jersey with Kelce鈥檚 No. 87 and the name stitched across the back was 鈥�
鈥淢r Pfizer鈥�
Another billboard, this one from a radio station, also referenced Kelce if not by name:
鈥淏eat Taylor鈥檚 boyfriend.鈥�
Kelce got the better of the Vikings, however, just as he outpointed Rodgers.
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AP NFL:
Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press
