Fans under the assumption that Travis Kelce blames Taylor Swift for his NFL team's sensational loss at the Super Bowl this year have been left outraged by the notion.
The Kansas City Chiefs suffered crushing 40-22 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles during the grand American football finale back in January, despite Kelce's team having secured the same victory the year prior.
Ever since then, the 36-year-old sportsman seems to have taken a partial step back, with neither he nor Swift, also 36, having been spotted in public for a number of weeks now.
'Swifties' were subsequently left horrified, therefore, when a source allegedly told US Weekly that Kelce somewhat blames his pop-star girlfriend for the part she played in his team's loss.
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Whilst the tight-end has never explicitly said any such thing in conversation with fans or press, the insider told the publication: "Travis wants to take [a breather] from the public eye.
"He was working too much last year, and he didn’t play as well as he wanted."
The source added: "He wants to have a good season and not have the focus be on his relationship with Taylor."
Naturally, the allegation that Kelce holds his other-half guilty hasn't gone down too well on several different sides.
Firstly, groups of sports fans have found the report somewhat infuriating, agreeing that the singer had a part to play in distracting Kelce ahead of the big game. Again, whilst he's not on the record to have ever blamed Swift for the defeat, one critic agreed with the insider's sourcing.
"The guy spent all off-season dancing around on stage with her [at the Eras Tour] and traveling around the world," they wrote.
"Meanwhile his competition was in the field."
Another agreed with Swift's alleged influence: "Everyone could see he focused more on being a star than being in best form and top shape."
Kelce's alleged blaming of Swift has also landed him in hot water with a number of members of the musician's die-hard fan-base.
"lol - what a crock…they both have ginormous egos, he loved the attention as much as her…spare us the histrionics and faux outrage!" one slammed on X (formerly Twitter).
Another aimed a tweet at the athlete, penning: "Dude, your old and you don't keep yourself in great shape. The dad bod isn't working anymore. Father time is undefeated.
"Don't blame the girlfriend, that's weenie."
Another continued: "No, him going out and partying 2 nights before was probably the cause. Man up and stop blaming your girlfriend."
Tyla contacted Travis and Taylor's representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Sport, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, US News, Sex and Relationships
Rhianna Benson