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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is finally speaking out to address rumors that his girlfriend Taylor Swift, whom he’s been dating since September of 2023, has been a “distraction” from his NFL career.

Kelce Sounds Off

Throughout this season, Kelce, 35, has struggled to find his usual field-tilting form at times. Some have blamed this on Swift, 35, arguing that the distraction she can bring only does “harm” to Kelce’s career. Despite these criticisms, however, Kelce wants the world to know that he is happier than ever.

“I’m enjoying all aspects of life,” Kelce told Stephen A. Smith in a new interview. “Me and Taylor are happy and I couldn’t be happier to enjoy that comfort and confidence off the field and all the support I could ever ask for at the stadium, man.”

“She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” he continued. He added that Swift “loves coming” to his games, and that she has fun “cheering” him on at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Related: Travis Kelce Lashes Out After Claims The Chiefs Lost On Purpose To Keep The Bengals Out Of The Playoffs

Kelce And Swift Support Each Other

Kelce went on to say that he works hard to ensure that Swift knows that he always supports her. He added that she does the same for him.

“Well, I think personally, that’s the beauty of being in a very strong relationship is that you get that support to be able to come in and focus on your craft, focus on being the best version of you,” he argued.

“That’s why I wanted to be at the concert, supporting her and being there for her, making sure she feels comfortable and supportive and everything she’s doing in life,” Kelce explained. “I think I’m as focused as I’ve ever been on my job and being the best player that I could possibly be week in, week out for this team. It’s because I don’t have to worry about things off the field.”

Watch Kelce talk more about this in the video below.

As for Swift, she’s been open about supporting Kelce.

“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves,” she told Time Magazine in 2023, “we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care.”

“The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone,” she continued. “And we’re just proud of each other.”

Related: Taylor Swift Makes Huge Life Move for Travis Kelce After He ‘Shifted Her Priorities’

Kelce’s Difficult Season

This comes after an NFL season that didn’t go so well for Kelce as far as personal achievement (his team cruised to the playoffs nevertheless). Indeed, it ended up being one of his lowest production seasons in his career. Kelce put up just 823 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. Each of these stats were his lowest since his rookie season.

Some analysts have claimed that Kelce’s jet-setting life with Swift is to blame. Others think it might be time for Kelce to retire from professional football altogether. After all, he is 35 and plays a contact position. Kelce has given no indication that he plans to do that, however.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Kelce in his NFL career. When it comes to his relationship with Swift, however, it certainly doesn’t seem like that will be ending anytime soon!

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