As I delve into the captivating narrative of Travis Kelce, a man whose energy and spirit are as infectious as his love for music, I find myself utterly mesmerized. His journey, filled with triumphs, challenges, and an unwavering zest for life, is a testament to resilience and the power of self-belief.
Travis Kelce can do it with a busy schedule.
The tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, who is set to debut as host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? from Oct. 16 on Prime Video, has been involved in several new ventures beyond football since their Super Bowl victory in February. He recognizes that these additional endeavors may bring increased focus on his football skills.
In an exclusive conversation with Keltie Knight from TopMob News on October 8th, Travis clarified, “It’s not always about pressure, but rather self-criticism. I am, without a doubt, my own toughest critic.
35-year-old partner of Taylor Swift noted that since the Chiefs clinched victory in the final game of the NFL season, they and their fellow players faced a compressed off-season compared to rivals. As a result, they needed to manage their time exceptionally well.
Over the last ten years of playing football professionally, Travis has learned to gauge how much time and rest he needs in order to prepare well for a season. (You can hear more from Travis on TopMob News, airing October 9 at 11 p.m.)
The football legend, who recently made his acting debut in Ryan Murphy’s television series titled “Grotesquerie”, expressed confidence in balancing external endeavors with maintaining his commitment to his sporting career.
Travis expressed his gratitude for the numerous opportunities that came his way following the Super Bowl. He carefully considered these prospects, consulting with his teammates, family, and friends. Ultimately, he chose what he believed would bring him the most enjoyment, while ensuring he could continue excelling at his primary role: football.
Regardless of other personal or professional challenges, this ex-University of Cincinnati football player continues to dedicate effort to ensure he’s giving his peak performance.
Ultimately, I remain a football player, Travis emphasized. Every day, I keep showing up to work with the goal of winning titles, continuing to live the dream that has been with me since I was young.
He mentioned that football is his top priority, yet it’s enjoyable for him to explore the realm of entertainment, as he has done during recent off-seasons.
Travis’ remarks were made in response to criticisms he received for a supposed “sluggish beginning” to his NFL season, despite his team having an undefeated 5-0 record. His elder brother, Jason Kelce, has recently stepped up to support him amidst the negative feedback from Chiefs supporters.
He stated during ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown on October 7 that Travis is extremely involved in football, as it holds the greatest significance in his life.
Previously, a Philadelphia Eagles alumnus highlighted that Travis had consistently embraced fresh ventures beyond football during the off-seasons – a pattern that remained unaltered by the increased focus on his personal relationships.
The 36-year-old went on to say that he’s always made the most of every moment, and he’s particularly appreciated his downtime, even before Taylor Swift became a part of his life and other significant events transpired.
Jason similarly shared his brother’s feelings, stating that he would “always manage to keep football as his top concern.
Jason commented, “It seems Trav has had a sluggish beginning, but I’m confident that he’ll make his presence known and perform at his best. It won’t be long until he regains his stride.
Keep reading for everything to know about Travis.
Despite being deeply rooted in Kansas City, Missouri, Travis Kelce was actually raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Instead, the man enthusiastically mentions his hometown rather than his university, University of Cincinnati, during broadcasts featuring player introductions.
Which, as you might guess, has irked some fellow alums.
2019 found me reflecting on my cherished years at the University of Cincinnati as I and my brother Jason Kelce were inducted into our alma mater’s Hall of Fame from Cleveland Heights High School. While I hold those days in high regard, I must admit that there was a period during my time at Cincinnati when things weren’t straightforward for me. It was challenging, even tough. Unfortunately, I lost my scholarship and made some questionable decisions. I’m confident that many people in this room can relate to knowing someone from Heights who has also stumbled along the way. To my friends, let me be clear: I was that guy.
Beyond just being significant to him, he added, this place up here matters to everyone. Its diversity is astounding and it stirs something within me. Everything I accomplish is dedicated to this city. It might sound trite, but let me assure you, everything I perform in the public eye – whether it’s dancing in the end zone – that’s a tribute to Cleveland Heights, for all of you, right there.
2. About that revoked scholarship…
Following their unbeaten 2009 campaign capped by a Big East championship, Travis was found to have used marijuana before the 2010 Sugar Bowl. This was due to his excessive celebrations on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans.
Apart from forfeiting the bowl game, he also faced severe consequences: The NCAA suspended him for the entire 2010 season, withdrew his scholarship, and left him without housing. He moved in with his brother Jason (specifically, into his brother’s room in the house they shared with teammates), and resorted to working as a telemarketer, where his job involved asking people if they had opinions about the Affordable Care Act over the phone.
They did, and Travis could not wait to get back on the field.
3. As a diehard sports enthusiast, I’ve got to share my story about Travis. He dabbled in hockey, baseball, and basketball before finding his true passion in football. In high school, he was no ordinary player; he was our quarterback! But here’s the twist – he was a promising two-star QB prospect for Cincinnati. However, a suspension forced him to make a change, and as part of his reinstatement to the team, he switched positions to tight end.
In simpler terms, Travis mentioned that during his draft year in 2013, our team already had an excellent quarterback named Zach Collaros. We required assistance in both the running and passing games as well. I spoke with Coach Butch Jones, who was coaching me at the time, and he suggested we needed a tight end. Given my abilities, athleticism, and direction, it all lined up perfectly for me, which is why it worked out so well.
In 2017, when he discussed his less than stellar performance with GQ, he essentially said, “People have always seen me as a tight end rather than anything else.
4. The home located at 127 W. Nixon St., which Travis shared with Jason and other University of Cincinnati students (Bearcats), was the site of numerous, beer-fueled antics.
Tom DeTemple, a college friend and teammate, shared with the New York Times before the 2024 Super Bowl that the brothers were fond of spending lengthy hours playing Nintendo 64. He added that they would simultaneously manipulate the controls and drink beers, and often devise impromptu drinking games during gameplay. Remarkably skillful at these games, he noted.
5. And suffice it to say, Travis is extremely proud of being a Bearcat.
“It’s all about Cincinnati, baby,” he told reporters before the 2023 Super Bowl, which the Chiefs got to by beating the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. “I’ve always been extremely prideful of coming from the University of Cincinnati. I finally got my diploma. I try to help out as much as I can. I go back to the university when I can. I just miss being around all those players that I played with, and all the people I met along the way there that have always been in my corner throughout the ups and downs of life.”
When he found himself in a difficult position with the NCAA, he stated, “Those who were part of the university – players, coaches, staff – had faith in my ability to improve the situation and make things right for myself. This support meant a lot to me during that period.
6 years post-graduation and entering the draft, Travis completed his degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2022. However, it wasn’t until April 2024 that he received his diploma during an unanticipated graduation ceremony. This occasion coincided with taping a live episode of New Heights at Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena alongside Jason.
As the graduate drew near for his congratulatory handshake from the dean, he was already clutching a beer can in his hand. Immediately following the handshake, he downed the beer.
And Travis was going to graduate in 2022 but he missed his flight.
7. Due mainly to some problems away from the field, Travis was selected fifth among tight ends in the 2013 NFL Draft, being chosen in the third round by the Chiefs. Later on, coach Andy Reid, who had previously coached Jason in Philadelphia, requested that the older Kelce brother endorse Travis.
Andy and Travis have three Super Bowl rings to show for Jason’s endorsement.
8. For many years, prior to each game, Travis would listen to the song “Burn On” by Randy Newman as his pre-match hype tune, even though the kind of music he listens to has evolved since then.
In a conversation on the NBC Sports podcast “PFT Live” in 2017, he shared that since I’m from the east side of Cleveland, this particular song takes me back to memories of my family and makes me reflect on where I am in life, appreciating it deeply.
Let us explain: It’s in the opening credits of Major League, the ultimate Cleveland sports movie.
9. Everyone, including Travis, is mispronouncing his last name.
Although they’ve just left with Kelce, who sounds like “Kel-see”, his name actually rhymes with “else”.
Travis’ teammate Chris Jones dropped a surprising statement on Inside the NFL in January, saying “Freaky, isn’t it?” His claim was verified when he and his brothers directly addressed their father Ed Kelce about it during their New Heights podcast episode.
Jason wondered aloud, “What made you decide to alter your name so suddenly, and now it seems we are known as Kel-see? I can’t help but wonder why we identified ourselves as such for the first 24 years… or more accurately, the last 27 years of my life, and 25 years of Trav’s?
Ed admitted he “got tired of correcting people” but urged his son to “do whatever you want.”
10. The jersey number 87 that Travis has consistently worn during his NFL career is a nod to Jason, as he was born in the year 1987.
As a lifestyle expert, I might say something like: “Back in 1987, the year that saw my birth, it was the beginning of what could be known as the Kelce legacy. Two brothers, including myself with the Kansas City Chiefs and my brother Jason with the Philadelphia Eagles, found our way to the NFL.” This sets the stage for the exciting 2023 Super Bowl matchup between our teams!
11. For quite some time, Travis’ foundation and Running have been generous supporters of Operation Breakthrough, a non-profit learning center in Kansas City. This organization is one that Travis has collaborated with since his initial visit in 2015, during which he read “The Cat in the Hat” to the children.
Yes, reader, he wore the hat.
Afterwards, Travis got involved with the Smart Lab by investing in it and purchased the adjacent ex-muffler shop to facilitate growth. This allowed them to establish the Ignition Lab, a space where young students transform old cars destined for the scrapyard into functioning electric vehicles.
12. Travis and Jason affectionately refer to their New Heights listeners as “92% club members,” which is a nod to Jason’s past comment that the play known as a quarterback sneak was successful “approximately 92% of the time” when just one yard is needed to score a touchdown.
According to the podcast’s website, fans affectionately named themselves the “92 percenters,” likening this title to their special code or password, expressed through words.
Who were the Kelce brothers to argue with that?
13. Travis is accompanied by his three personal trainers – Alex Skacel, Andrew Spruill, and Laurence Justin Ng – and, as reported by The Athletic, one of them typically joins him on his travels to maintain his physical fitness for football throughout the entire year.
Alex, who is not only a physical therapist, remembered Travis expressing his desire to go for an evening jog following a busy schedule at the Paris Fashion Week, as he had missed exercising on that specific day.
At midnight, the coach has us running sprints across the bridges over the river,” he informed the New York Times in April. “Regardless of his location, he always manages to accomplish what’s necessary.
14. Kumar Ferguson, who has been a friend of Travis’ since their days at Cleveland Heights in the fourth grade, is his personal chef now.
In 2016, while he was dabbling in cooking as an amateur and driving trucks for a living, he received a call from Travis offering him an opportunity.
In 2023, Kumar expressed to Vanity Fair that he said something like, “Hey buddy, I’m committed to improving my diet and pushing it further,” to which he replied, “Wow, let’s make it happen. A few days after that, I found myself in Kansas City.
He has taken care of various tasks, ranging from filling Travis’ refrigerator to providing nutritious meals at the Chiefs’ training center.
15. Travis is having his facial hair closely examined more than before, so he shared on New Heights that he trimmed his off-season beard last year and kept the mustache as a tribute to Andy Reid’s walrus-style look, planning to continue this homage in 2024.
16. In April 2024, Travis secured a two-year deal worth $34.25 million, marking the first time in his career that he became the highest-earning tight end in the NFL.
Which finally put an end to years of chatter about how much money he wasn’t making.
In a conversation with Vanity Fair in 2023, Travis jokingly pointed out that his managers and agents frequently remind him of his supposed underpayment. Whenever he brings up the topic of earning more money, they simply suggest he should approach the Kansas City Chiefs about it.
However, with multiple alternative income streams now available to him, what mattered most was the atmosphere rather than the salary.
“I’m like, the free market looks like fun until you go somewhere and you don’t win,” he explained. “I love winning. I love the situation I’m in.”
Admittedly, witnessing other players’ substantial earnings gives me a pang, just a tad. It stirs doubts about fairness, making me wonder if my efforts aren’t properly rewarded. I can’t help but question if I could truly reap the returns I believe I deserve, given I consistently show up at that building day after day. However, what keeps me coming back is not just the potential rewards, but the simple joy of being there.
17. Travis has always had a keen interest in fashion, which was nurtured during his upbringing in Cleveland Heights, as his high school resembled a daily fashion show, according to his comments to Vanity Fair in 2023.
So, by turning the room into a closet, he could accommodate his high-end clothing collection and over 300 sneakers, including a set of size-13 Nike Air Mags that he purchased with a substantial chunk of his starting year’s earnings, even though they were slightly too small for him.
In his early professional years, before there were numerous sneaker applications, he said, he would simply buy whichever size of the desired shoe was available. (Reported to the Wall Street Journal)
Even though he’s heavily associated with Nike, as they support him, there’s still a special place in his heart for Chuck Taylors. They bring back memories of the fictional baseball star Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez from the movie “The Sandlot“.
18. Among his dozens of investments, Travis co-owns Ohio-brewed Garage Beer with Jason.
Travis mentioned in a June statement that it’s no secret he enjoys having a few beers occasionally. Being the owner of Garage Beer and deeply invested in crafting exceptional light beer is truly thrilling for him. There’s nothing quite as unifying as an ice-cold brew, and for Travis and Jason, that’s what beer represents—friendship, family, and good times.
19. We’re sensing a theme when it comes to Travis’ guilty pleasure TV choices.
Previously, it was known as “Gossip Girl”: He expressed, on “New Heights”, that it’s fantastic. It’s essentially a television series set in New York City high schools, filled with plenty of drama, and almost everyone engaging in gossip and speaking negatively about each other.
His new favorite show? Peacock’s Emmy-winning backstab-a-ganza The Traitors.
20. Lately, Travis, who’s in his 12th season in the NFL and is 35 years old, has become more candid about the physical strain that playing football imposes on a player’s body.
However, from the very beginning, he has steadfastly endured numerous setbacks, starting with a microfracture in his knee during his rookie year, which initiated a series of 10 surgeries throughout his professional career.
21. Travis openly discussed an incident on ‘New Heights’, where he tried – unsuccessfully – to gift Taylor Swift a friendship bracelet bearing his phone number during her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City.
After learning from reliable sources within her circle that Travis expressed a desire to meet her, she reached out to him directly.
He said that she clearly explained the situation to him, and added that it was fortunate for him that she contacted him. (WSJ. Magazine)
22. For as long as he can remember, Travis has always had a soft spot for French toast, which he loves to enjoy smothered in whipped cream and drizzled with syrup.
But more recently he’s become a fan of his girlfriend’s homemade Pop-Tarts and cinnamon rolls.
23. One of Travis’ phone tones features Chris Farley exclaiming “Goodness gracious me!” from the movie ‘Tommy Boy’.
He shared with WSJ. The Magazine that he’d told Taylor about his love for the comedic styles of Farley, Adam Sandler, and Will Ferrell, explaining, “I needed to share this with her, it’s what I vibe with most.
24. Following their AFC Championship victory against the Bengals in 2019, Travis excitedly shouted “You’ve got to fight for your right to party!”. This rallying cry motivated the Chiefs to play the Beastie Boys song with the same title after every touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium during home games.
2020 saw Chiefs general manager Brett Veach describe Travis Kelce to ESPN as akin to a “multiplier of energy,” a quality that is challenging to quantify yet indispensable. Kelce exudes character, charisma, and passion, making everyone around him feel connected. In our team’s environment, it’s safe to say that Travis Kelce is friends with everyone. He lifts spirits, sharpens focus, and heightens attention, ultimately leaving a positive impact while remaining enjoyable.
However, the exuberant host who introduced this tune into their lives confessed that he wasn’t familiar with all the lyrics until asked to perform it alongside Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in February 2023.
25. When asked about his favorite Taylor Swift songs in May 2024, Travis mentioned “Blank Space”, “The Alchemy”, and “So High School” as his top picks.
Inquired about it back in September, but when I asked again, he replied that he loves them all equally – every single one of them.
26. Travis was often compared to the esteemed tight end of the Chiefs, Tony Gonzalez, who hung up his cleats in 2013 following a 17-year career in the league, from an early stage onwards.
In 2015, as discussions intensified about whether he could outperform Tony’s accomplishments and the potential disappointment if he failed to do so, Travis chose to ignore the commotion.
In his conversation with Complex, he expressed, “I set the bar higher for myself more than anyone else does. I aspire to achieve the most outstanding statistical season in the history of tight ends.
On September 29, Travis overtook Tony to claim the title of the Chiefs’ record holder for most receptions, reaching a total of 917 catches.
Travis remarked on New Heights: “It’s amazing how things often return to where they started.” Now standing atop the leaderboard with the Kansas City Chiefs, an organization dating back to the ’60s and one of the early pioneers that have persisted until today, reaching their zenith. A significant portion of this is due to their storied past and a person like Tony Gonzalez who has served as my mentor. I truly admire him.
27. Of Travis’ many accomplishments, keeping his house in order on his own isn’t one of them.
“He can’t clean,” mom Donna Kelce told Extra in September. “He can’t cook.”
Perhaps the prospect of welcoming a special guest while she’s in the city has given you an added incentive to tidy up and organize things.
“He’s getting a little better,” Donna acknowledged. “I think he’s getting some help.”
Read More
- The Masked Singer Christmas special line-up – who are the characters?
- CRV PREDICTION. CRV cryptocurrency
- CTK PREDICTION. CTK cryptocurrency
- ZIG PREDICTION. ZIG cryptocurrency
- CTXC PREDICTION. CTXC cryptocurrency
- AGI PREDICTION. AGI cryptocurrency
- LDO PREDICTION. LDO cryptocurrency
- IMX PREDICTION. IMX cryptocurrency
- OKB PREDICTION. OKB cryptocurrency
- BONK trading volume crashed 73% – PEPE, WIF, FLOKI next?
2024-10-09 15:52