LAS VEGAS — Back in early October, when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's relationship started to really make headlines and make headlines on social media, the NFL, and the entertainment world, there was a small amount of buzz surrounding BYU. Another buzz arose around the star. Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
Kelce runs a podcast called “New Heights” with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, and the Chiefs star appeared in a BYU jersey on the first episode that month.
There was a simple explanation. When the Cougars defeated Cincinnati in BYU's Big 12 home opener, Travis' Kelce lost a bet with some of his BYU friends in Kansas City.
The Kelsey brothers played in college at Cincinnati.
On the podcast, Kelce said he was walking around the Chiefs' facility after the BYU-Cincinnati game when several people asked him about the jersey.
Among them was Kansas City coach Andy Reid, a former BYU player and assistant at the school.
“I know it when I see it, big man. I wear it with pride,” Kelce said on the podcast. “Thanks to BYU for acquiring the dubbing. Cincinnati, let's go, baby! Come on! Let's get back on the train, baby! UC!”
The question is, where did the jersey go after Kelce wore it on his podcast?
Thanks to some “investigative” reporting ahead of this year's Super Bowl, we have the answer.
The Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where both teams will be in the national spotlight with a title on the line.
On Monday, Super Bowl opening night, I asked former BYU tight end Matt Bushman about betting and jerseys.
Bushman is in his second year with the Chiefs as a member of the practice squad and has developed a strong relationship with Kelce.
“Our coach, Porter Ellett, who is also a BYU alum, was kind of the first person to put that bet in Travis' ear. (Travis was) like, 'Hey Bushman, you want to be in this?' It felt like that. If he loses the bet, he has to come to Las Vegas with me. ” So we’re like, “Oh, shoot.” what is that? What does it mean? ’ But now we’re here,” Bushman said.
Then he dropped the first details about where that jersey is.
“I think the jersey ended up in the hands of Porter's wife,” Bushman said. “I think Travis signed it and ended up giving it to them as a gift. I'm sure Porter and his wife would appreciate it as a little extra for the bet.”
Fast forward to Thursday, and I tracked Ellett, a Roa, Utah, native entering his seventh season in the Kansas City organization, first as an assistant running backs coach.
He confirmed Bushman's account for both where the bet began between Ellet and Kelsey and the current location of the jersey.
“We came up with the idea of betting on this game,” Ellett said. “At first I said, 'You have to wear a BYU jersey to the game,' and he said, 'But you're going to wear it at the show.' That's a good thing,' I thought. ”
BYU won and Kelce had to confess.
Ellett contacted former BYU tight end Chad Lewis, now the school's assistant development director and Bushman's father-in-law.
“Chad was like, ‘Yeah, can I put his name on it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I mean, if we could do that, that would be crazy, that would be great. “I thought. So it shipped the next day,” Ellett said.
“I had to get it to him by Wednesday, and when it showed up, Travis was like, 'Hey, you wrote my name!'” It was amazing. “
So how did the jersey get back to Ellet?
Simple: It was a gift.
“Then my wife, Carly, said, 'The only thing I want for Christmas is a BYU jersey.'” So she said, 'Ask Travis for an autograph,' and she told him, 'The only thing I want for Christmas is a BYU jersey.' I asked him to do it, and he was like, 'Yeah, I'd love to do it,'” Ellett said.
