Why Travis Kelce Was Once Slammed For ‘Classless’ Super Bowl Afterparty in Las Vegas

The tight end for winners Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce, drew criticism for his 'classless' Super Bowl 58 celebration during his team's Las Vegas afterparty. Although some celebration was expected, given the awesome victory the Chiefs had over the 49ers, Kelce's theatrics appeared rather mean-spirited during the celebrations following the game. Fans were incensed when Kelce was seen on camera mocking the 49ers while holding a microphone during the late-night celebration in a Las Vegas nightclub on February 11, per The Spun.

One X user said, "The Chiefs needed a freak injury, several fluke plays and help from the refs to win the game. Kelce has become one of the biggest douchebags in all of sports." Similarly, someone else said, "That was so wrong, I hope Taylor's class can rub off a bit on him..." Many others reiterated similar sentiments, such as an individual who tweeted, "Dude has become so obnoxious and annoying," as well as a different person who said, "Dude is such a f-cking tool." However, some defended Kelce amid all this as they said he had the right to gloat after winning the Super Bowl.

Still, many also questioned the tight end's sportsmanship due to his actions, which included almost colliding with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during the game. Coach Reid and Kelce got into an aggressive dispute when Kelce's displeasure reached a boiling point during a pivotal juncture in the game. In response to Isiah Pacheco's blunder, which put the Chiefs behind the ball, Kelce came at Reid hard and almost knocked him down. Fans were shocked to see the altercation on tape, which led to more criticism of Kelce's behavior on the field. 

But Kelce tried to play it down, hugging Taylor Swift, his girlfriend, after the win and calling Coach Reid the 'greatest coach the game has ever seen.' Referring to the shove, Kelce slyly told reporters, “Ah, you guys saw that? I’m gonna keep that between us unless my ‘mic’d up’ [player microphone] tells the world. I was just telling him how much I love him.”

In an attempt to brush the event aside, Reid, who has now guided the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles, said to CBS, “Travis keeps me young! Not so good [balance, from me] – he tested that hip out. He caught me off-balance – normally I get him a little bit but I didn’t have any feet under me.” “He loves to play the game and he loves to help his team win,” Reid later explained the shove in his press conference. “It’s not a selfish thing. As much as he bumps into me, I get after him. We understand that. He just caught me off balance.”

Aside from his 'classless' jab at his rivals, Kelce enjoyed a great victory celebration at XS Nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas resort hotel with his girlfriend and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany Mahomes. The star couple appeared to be having a great time together as they danced to some of the legendary pop star's greatest songs, such as Love Story.

This article was originally published on 02.13.24.