The Kansas City Chiefs are several months away from returning to action, and yet, Travis Kelce is already receiving unfair criticism from NFL fans.
There was some speculation that Kelce would retire after the Chiefs fell short to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. However, the future Hall of Famer decided that he wanted to come back for a 13th season.
Kelce made it clear that his passion for the game of football hasn’t diminished. That’s the main reason why his retirement plans are on hold for at least one more year. Of course, he also wants to avenge this past February’s loss in the Super Bowl.
“I think the biggest thing is that I love playing the game of football,” Kelce said. “I love playing. I still feel like I can play it at a high level and possibly at a higher level than I did last year. I don’t think it was my best outing. I think I let my guys down in a lot more moments than I helped them, especially if you look at my track record and how I’ve been in years past. I want to give it a good run. I got a bad taste in my mouth in how I ended last year and how well I was playing and how accountable I was to the people around me.”
Unfortunately for Kelce, his critics won’t wait until Week 1 to question his commitment to the Chiefs. There are people already ripping him to shreds because of his offseason appearance.
A photo of Kelce wearing a baggy sweater surfaced on social media earlier this week. A popular NFL account under the name of “Dov Kleiman” decided to use that picture as an opportunity to body-shame the All-Pro tight end.
“Yikes: Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce appears to have gained a serious amount of weight this offseason,” Kleiman wrote. “Looks like the fame is finally getting to him.”
Kleiman wasn’t the only social media user who mocked Kelce’s physique.
“I’m begging you please hang up them cleats,” another person tweeted.
“To be fair, he started gaining that during the season. He was slower in the playoffs,” a third fan said.
Of course, there are some logical NFL fans out there who understand Kelce has time to get in peak football shape.
“Are we really fat shaming Travis? Do better,” one fan said.
“He’s wearing a baggy shirt. Give it a rest,” another fan replied.
If Kelce appears to be rusty and winded in October, then fans can consider questioning his decision to play another season.
For now though, Kelce shouldn’t be criticized for wearing baggy clothes in the offseason.
