Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has no time for the “dads, Brads and Chads,” who’ve been upset with the NFL’s frequent coverage of Taylor Swift.
“I think it was definitely something that was noticed, but I don’t know,” Newton, 35, exclusively told Us Weekly at Hollywood Unlocked’s 4th annual Impact Awards on Friday, June 21. “They got to paint the narrative for something.”
He continued, “I think it just made more sense and garnered more fuel as their success kind of took off and that’s just how it goes. You can’t be mad. If you don’t like it, then try to stop Travis [Kelce].”
Swift and Kelce, both 34, have been dating since summer 2023, taking their relationship public when she went to her first Kansas City Chiefs game that September. With Swift’s frequent appearances watching Kelce’s football team, many diehard sports enthusiasts lamented how much Swift was shown on the broadcast in comparison to actual game plays. Swift, however, has not been fazed by the critics.
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“I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in. There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once,” Swift told TIME in her 2023 Person of the Year profile. “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”
Newton, who has not played football since 2021 without formally retiring, is on Swift’s side.
“I didn’t, obviously, play, so that wasn’t my problem to have,” Newton told Us at the ceremony, which was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. “She is who she is [and] he is who he is, and the game is what it is, too.”
Swift has gone to 13 of Kelce’s games, including the Super Bowl in February. At the Chiefs’ December 2023 game against the New England Patriots, some attendees even booed Swift.
“I’ll say this, they showed Taylor at the game and you don’t see an entire home team fanbase go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team’s colors,” Kelce later recalled on his “New Heights” podcast that month. “Just shows you how amazing that girl is.”
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He continued, “They went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on the screen. … Might have been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but for the most part, everybody was f—king screaming at Taylor.”
Kelce and the Chiefs are currently in their offseason. In that time, Kelce has caught several of Swift’s international Eras Tour concerts.
With reporting by Lanae Brody
