Travis Kelce was not spotted during Wednesday’s organized team activities (OTA), but the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was a participant Monday, according to the team.
Kelce’s absence made waves Wednesday, as attending media couldn’t spot the 34-year-old, known for traveling the world with his popstar girlfriend Taylor Swift.
But according to photos released by the team on Wednesday, Kelce was in attendance at Monday’s voluntary practice, where he saw his first action alongside new teammate Marquise Brown. Team spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for more information.
Teammate and quarterback Patrick Mahomes was practicing Wednesday, as he participated in conditioning and throwing drills with new wide receiver Xavier Worthy and Sky Moore.
Kelce’s decision to snub Wednesday’s OTAs raised eyebrows within and outside the franchise, given what he said last year about football’s practice equivalent of baseball spring.
Travis Kelce was not spotted at Wednesday’s organized team activities (OTA), but the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was participating Monday, according to the team.
Travis Kelce is pictured alongside his new teammate, Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown (right)
“I love this game,” he told reporters at the time. “I think it allows me to live like a fun-loving young footballer. I can play a game for a living at 33 or 34 – and I don’t want to lose that.
“I don’t want to lose that excitement I had for the game as a kid.”
He added: “Every day I can come with the best team, the best players (and) the best coaches in the world, so it’s easy to come here and enjoy it.”
Last weekend, Kelce was seen celebrating at his own music festival – Kelce Jam – in Kansas City with Mahomes, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo.
Before that, he stepped out for a lavish dinner and boat ride with Swift on Lake Como, Italy, as the popstar continues to tour Europe on her “Eras” tour.
Kelce recently signed a two-year extension worth up to $34.3 million, according to reports.
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid is hoping for a much quieter remainder of the offseason now that the defending Super Bowl champions have reconvened for a series of voluntary workouts, culminating with their mandatory minicamp at middle of next month.
Whether it’s the unsolved Dallas car crash involving Rice, the polarizing comments from kicker Harrison Butker, or the crazy schedule imposed on Kansas City by the NFL that has him playing every day of the week but Tuesday , the headlines involving the Chiefs since their title triumph in February.
“Obviously we don’t want these things to happen,” Reid said, mostly referring to Rice’s legal troubles, “but things happen and you learn from them.” And you end it. That’s what’s important.
Kelce makes a catch during Monday’s OTA, a Chiefs photo reel shows
Mahomes has been teammates with Butker since 2018 and defended him on Wednesday
Reid has been the head coach of the Chiefs since 2013, winning three Super Bowls with the team
Butker has been under fire for more than a week after some called his keynote speech sexist
The case involving Rice, one of last season’s stars, was the biggest headache for Kansas City.
The 24-year-old faces one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision causing serious bodily injury and six counts of collision causing injury after being accused of driving at speeds approaching 120 miles at the hour before the accident. The crash of a high-speed Lamborghini, which Rice admitted to driving, involved six vehicles and left numerous people injured.
One of his friends, Theodore Knox, was driving a Corvette involved in the crash and faces the same charges. Both are accused of leaving the scene without providing information or determining if anyone needed medical attention.
Earlier this week, Dallas police said a separate situation apparently involving Rice was resolved when a man signed a nonprosecution affidavit regarding an incident at a downtown nightclub. The receiver was reportedly accused of assaulting the man, although Rice was never identified by Dallas police in a report on the incident provided to The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Rice continues to train with the Chiefs as part of their voluntary training program.
“We’re just going to let the situation play out,” Reid said.
Troubled Chiefs forward Rashee Rice was in attendance at the team’s practice Wednesday. amid legal problems
Former Welsh rugby player and Chiefs ball carrier Louis Rees-Zammit also took part in the drills
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked what advice he might give Rice going forward, especially with a court case – and likely an NFL suspension – hanging over his head and the start of the season in less than four months.
“It’s about trying to do everything we can to teach him to learn from his mistakes,” Mahomes responded. “Obviously it was a big mistake. Learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again, and do your best to be the best you can be for society and those around you. … We’re going to do what we can to put him on the right path to being a great football player, obviously, but we want him to be a great person as well.
Mahomes also said that while he didn’t necessarily agree with comments Butker made during his recent commencement speech at Benedictine College, the Chiefs’ star quarterback supports the kicker’s right to make them .
Among other things, Butker said most women with college degrees were probably more enthusiastic about getting married and having children; argued that some Catholic leaders were “imposing dangerous gender ideologies on American youth”; refers to a “sort of mortal sin pride to which a month is dedicated” in an oblique reference to Pride Month; and took aim at President Joe Biden’s policies, including his condemnation of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade from 1973.
“We’re not always going to agree with one another,” Mahomes said, “and he’s said some things that I don’t necessarily agree with.”
Mahomes doesn’t think Butker’s comments will be a problem in the locker room, however. He also doesn’t think Rice’s legal troubles will cause any rift as the Chiefs seek their third straight Super Bowl title and fourth in six years.
“When you walk into the locker room, it’s a safe space where everyone can be themselves,” Mahomes said. “It’s always good to have people here – people from Kansas City, competing – and being as smart as possible when we’re not in the building.”
“I think the guys understand that we have to step up as a team and an organization,” Mahomes added, “but we have to go out there and prove it so other people believe it too.”
The Chiefs would certainly do well to tie things up quickly. The NFL presented them with a brutal schedule.
In addition to playing every day of the week except Tuesday — including Christmas for the second year in a row — the Chiefs will have completed their bye after Week 6 and will later have a stretch in which they play three games in one stretch of 11 days. .
“Our schedule has gotten crazier and crazier every year. We know we’re going to have a lot of prime time games. We’ve built up a lot of equity to go into these games,” Mahomes said, before adding with a wry smile: “I know I’m going to try to be better at Christmas, because last Christmas wasn’t great .”
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