Travis Kelce Laughed At ‘Absolutely Ridiculous’ New York Times Story On The ‘Kelce Haircut’ (AKA A Fade)

Travis Kelce is the most famous tight end in NFL history, surpassing Rob Gronkowski for that honor this year as his popularity has exploded well beyond NFL fans now that he is dating the biggest pop star in the world, Taylor Swift.

With that stature comes a level of attention few athletes receive and Kelce has done a pretty incredible job dealing with all of the trappings that come with his newfound fame. Whether it be tabloid fodder about his relationship, old tweets resurfacing, or the New York Times writing an entire piece about the exploding popularity of the “Travis Kelce Haircut” (which, to be clear, is just a taper fade), Kelce handles it all with a smile and a laugh, finding it all a bit funny that people care this much about him.

The latest example of that came on Monday night at Super Bowl Media Day where he was the star attraction and gladly handled questions about Swift’s new album — he’s heard some and is smart enough not to divulge any details other than “it’s great” — and, yes, the NYT haircut story. Kelce laughed about it, calling it “absolutely ridiculous,” while noting that they “threw me to the wolves” by dropping a story about him popularizing the fade on February 1, the start of Black History Month.

He does drop the details on exactly what he asks for from his barber but makes sure to note he did not invent the taper fade, which has long been one of the most popular men’s haircuts — particularly within the Black community. He also makes clear he wants “no part of” people calling it “the Kelce,” wisely understanding the implications of that.