In the months since Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce went public with their relationship, everyone has had an opinion about the power couple.

 

The negative comments tend to attract the most attention—which is why retired NFL player J.J. Watt’s strong message about the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his pop superstar girlfriend is so refreshing.

Watt, who retired from the NFL after the 2022 season and is currently an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, recently opened up about the massive amount of attention Swift and Kelce’s romance has attracted at Chiefs games this season.

“I think it’s great. I can’t understand why people are so upset about it,” Watt told Us Weekly on Monday, Jan. 29. “I mean, they show celebrities at games all the time. Don’t act like we don’t show male celebrities at games all the time. I don’t really understand why it’s caused such an uproar.”

The former defensive end continued: “I mean, she’s literally there supporting her significant other, and that’s what you should do as a significant other. So I think that it’s great.”

Because Swift has attracted so many new NFL fans—who likely would not have watched professional football otherwise—Watt said the increased interest “should be nothing but celebrated.”

Watt isn’t the only former NFL player/coach to weigh in on the media frenzy surrounding Kelce and Swift’s romance. Hall-of-Famer Tony Dungy suggested the “Cruel Summer” songstress was part of what was “disenchanting people with sports now.” Meanwhile, retired NFL player Shannon Sharpe shared a pointed message about Swift’s impact on the sport.

Celebrities and athletes from other sports realms have also shared their two cents about Swift and Kelce. From Lamar Odom’s dating advice to Jessie James Decker’s bold prediction about their relationship to The View co-hosts debating Kelce’s “red flags,” there is no shortage of opinions.

Thankfully, Kelce said he and Swift are able to tune out “anything that’s outside noise”—so hopefully, they continue to do so.