Jason Kelce Praises 'Role Model' Taylor Swift

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce defended pop superstar Taylor Swift amid scrutiny from some NFL fans over the coverage she's received while attending games in support of his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, amid their relationship.

"The attention is there because the audience wants to see it, I know that,” Jason told WCPO sports anchor Caleb Noe on Saturday (February 3) in Orlando ahead of the Pro Bowl. "If people didn't want to see it, they wouldn't be showing it. She is the quintessential artist right now in the world, singer-songwriter. She is an unbelievable role model for young women across the globe."

The elder Kelce has shared a suite with Swift during each of his brother's last two playoffs games following the Eagles' elimination in the NFC Wild Card Round, which included his viral shirtless celebration during the first of Travis' two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round during their initial meeting last month.

“Tay said she absolutely loved you,” Travis told Jason during the an episode of their 'New Heights' podcast released on January 24 after Jason acknowledged that his wife, Kylie, warned him to be on his best behavior when they first met with Swift.

Swift has attended all of the Chiefs' games that haven't conflicted with her touring schedule since September and is expected to attend Super Bowl LVIII despite a scheduled 'Eras Tour' concert in Japan on the same weekend. Some NFL fans have criticized the coverage dedicated to Swift's attendance and relationship with Kelce, while others have celebrated it, as the singer "has generated an equivalent brand value of $331.5 million for the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL," Apex Marketing Group recently confirmed to Front Office Sports.

Swift broke her silence on her relationship with Kelce while being featured as Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year' in December.

Swift praised Kelce for "adorably" putting her "on blast" when he revealed on his 'New Heights' podcast last July that he attempted and failed to give her a bracelet with his phone number while attending her 'Eras Tour' concert in Kansas City. Swift added that the two had spent "significant" time together before she initially attended a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in September, at which point they were already "a couple."

“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Swift said. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”

“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift added. “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. And we’re just proud of each other.”