Stephen A. Smith Claps Back At Kelce Brothers Amid NFL, Celebrity Take

Stephen A. Smith doesn’t appear to have any sympathy for Travis Kelce saying the NFL is overdoing the celebrity hype at football games.

On ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith called out Kelce for complaining about the celebrity camera coverage — especially at Kansas City Chiefs games where Taylor Swift is present, on the “New Heights” podcasts he co-hosts with his brother Jason.

“Travis Kelce, stop. Bro, you did this, not the NFL,” Smith said.

The Kelce brothers began the discussion by talking about how their mother, Donna attended both of their games on Sunday when Jason Kelce’s Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders and then traveled to New Jersey to watch Travis Kelce and the Chiefs take on the New York Jets.

“Whirlwind celebrity-filled weekend,” Jason Kelce said. “Obviously at the Eagles, it was probably the biggest celebrity she saw. She sat next to Jake from State Farm the entire game. And let me tell you, Jake, that guy, that’s a good neighbor.”

Not only did Donna Kelce attend the Chiefs game but she was joined in the suite by Swift, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Hugh Jackman.

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While Travis Kelce said he thinks it’s fun that the NFL shows who’s at the game, he believes the league is going overboard, something his brother agreed with.

“I just think the NFL is not used to celebrities coming to the games,” Jason Kelce said. “Basketball has it figured out. They’re all courtside. They’re sitting here and they show them once or twice and then they get back to the game.

“The NFL is like, ‘Oh, look at all these elite celebrities at the game.’ … You get a little clip, but it can’t be overboard with it. They’re there to watch the game. They’re not there to get thrown on TV.”

Smith described Swift as a marketing genius for her appearances at NFL events especially with a movie coming out, but claims even prior to the relationship, Kelce was the one who instigated the hype.

“Travis Kelce, you were once a part of the reality dating series ‘Catching Kelce,'” Smith said. “… That’s what you did and then we didn’t know anything about Taylor Swift. She was going to her concert, she was doing her tour and you wanted to meet up with her. … You let the world know you got a bracelet made for her and you wanted to give her your phone number.

“Come on now, it’s all in fun. Maybe it’s a bit excessive, people trying to capitalize off of it attention-wise. I get it. But the instigator in all of this was you, my brother.”