Kelly Stafford is shaking off her initial reaction of the Taylor Swift Effect.
On the latest episode of her The Morning After podcast, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said that she got “tired” last season when coverage of the pop superstar supporting her boyfriend Travis Kelce seemingly eclipsed all other NFL narratives.
“Now, I have never once said I didn’t like Taylor Swift — ever,” Stafford said to her co-host Hank Winchester. “But I will say I kind of got tired of the Chiefs’ coverage of it — actually the NFL’s coverage — of this budding relationship last year. And, can she do anything about that? No, she can’t.”
Stafford, 34, continued, “It was a good business decision for the NFL but I almost felt like it was outshining the games. And that’s what bothered me. I was a little jealous of the fact that they were getting all this attention and all of a sudden the football game was the sideshow. So yeah maybe I let jealousy get the best of me.”
With wall-to-wall media coverage focusing on Swift and Kelce’s burgeoning relationship last season, Stafford felt that other players — including her husband — were overlooked.
“I watched my husband work his a– off and all of these guys who work for the league work their a–es off and all of a sudden they’re like the sideshow,” Stafford said.
So while the mother of four shared that she has “always loved” Swift since they are the same age and that she’s followed her career since she was a budding country artist, Stafford knew that she might face “backlash” for bringing her family to the “Fortnight” singer’s Eras Tour concert last weekend in New Orleans.
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On Instagram, Stafford shared an extended glimpse into the family’s weekend, which began with a private jet jaunt from L.A. to NOLA. While aboard, the girls — twins Sawyer and Chandler, 7, Hunter, 6 and Tyler, 4 — made friendship bracelets as their parents toasted the experience.
Now, looking back, Kelly said she is appreciative of Swift’s impact on the league — and on her family.
“I am so thankful for her in a lot of ways because there are so many more women watching, there are little girls watching with their dads and I do think it definitely makes my girls love football more knowing that she’s adjacent to it,” she said. “I honestly think my girls are prouder of their dad because he’s playing the sport that Taylor Swift loves.”
