Tony Gonzalez Praises Taylor Swift for Bringing New Fans to Football

NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez praised Taylor Swift for shining a light on America’s favorite pastime through her romance with Travis Kelce.

“I think it’s great that Taylor’s done this for the NFL,” Gonzalez, 47, said during a Thursday, November 30, appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “She’s brought a whole new audience, it’s been great.”

Gonzalez recalled recently being in the airport when a 10-year-old girl approached him to say hello. “Usually men come up to me, occasionally a woman, but I was like, ‘Oh, a 10-year-old girl? How cool I’m getting so popular,’” he quipped about the exchange. “She goes, ‘Hi, Is your name Tony? Do you know Travis Kelce?’”

Gonzalez played in the NFL for 17 seasons before his retirement in 2013. The athlete spent his first 12 seasons as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, the same team as Swift’s boyfriend Kelce, 34, before later joining the Atlanta Falcons. He finished his career with 14 Pro Bowl selections, six first-team All-Pros and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

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Earlier this week, Kelce made headlines when he reached 11,000 receiving yards in the fewest number of games as a tight end, breaking a record previously held by Gonzalez. At the time, Gonzalez took to social media to congratulate his former teammate, writing via X (formerly Twitter), “Congrats and well earned my friend! Keep it going @tkelce.”

Gonzalez wasn’t the only one to celebrate Kelce’s big moment. Swift, 33, also showed her support by “liking” an Instagram post shared by the Kansas City Chiefs about the milestone. “Fastest tight end to 11k receiving yards AND the only player in franchise history to do it 🏹,” the post read.

Kelce and Swift were first linked in September, when the Grammy winner accepted Kelce’s offer to see him “rock the field” at Arrowhead Stadium in his game against the Chicago Bears. She has since appeared at four Chiefs games throughout the 2023-2024 season. Kelce has also been spotted cheering Swift on as she travels the globe for the international leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

The pair’s relationship have since taken the world by storm, with everyone from fellow celebrities to the NFL itself gushing over their blossoming romance. Even Swift’s closest pals are excited about about the duo finding each other.

“Friends close to Taylor and Travis think they make an amazing power couple, and they couldn’t be happier for them,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly in October. Later that month, a second insider added that Swift’s inner circle thinks she and Kelce are “in love.”

As for Swift and Kelce, the couple have “very detailed plans” on staying close while “she’s on tour and he has games,” a third insider told Us earlier this month. “They don’t want to start their relationship off with big gaps [in time spent apart]. They’re trying to be as much like a regular couple as possible.”

That likely includes getting their families together around the holidays. While Taylor has met both of Kelce’s parents — and the NFL star has spent time with the singer’s father — the pair are still hoping to spend some time with each other’s loved ones.

“Taylor and Travis have spent time with each other’s families so it only makes sense that they’d want their parents to meet one another,” a fourth insider told Us. “Both of them have a very close relationship with their parents, and it’s really important that their families blend seamlessly.”