As Taylor Swift and BrittanyMahomes, the wife of PatrickMahomes, quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, slapped hands and bumped hips in a touchdown celebration that took over social media on Sunday night, a man in a white T-shirt and a backward baseball cap clapped behind them.
The handshake, which was shown during the broadcast of a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, finished with both women turning around and celebrating with the man, who bent down to their level with a broad smile.
Nothing about the man’s actions was particularly noteworthy. But Swifties who had not followed football before Swift began going to Chiefs games this season soon realized what NFL fans had known for years:JacksonMahomes, who is PatrickMahomes’ brother, has a knack for getting himself into the spotlight.
And his personal history, which includes an arrest on charges of sexual battery, has the ability to complicate what has been a fairly straightforward relationship between Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Chiefs and one of football’s most beloved players, and Swift, one of the world’s most popular musicians.
It was a situation that generated plenty of memes, and more than a few calls for the NFL or the Chiefs to step in.
Swift’s fans are known for finding Easter eggs in virtually anything she does and sniffing out any potential flaws in her romantic relationships. What they are learning aboutJacksonMahomesis likely to continue to generate a great deal of discussion.
Who isJacksonMahomes?
JacksonMahomes, 23, is the younger brother of PatrickMahomes, 28. With 1.1 million followers on TikTok,JacksonMahomesis a social media influencer who has parlayed his connection to his famous brother, and his friendship with his sister-in-law, BrittanyMahomes, to be a regular fixture at NFL games and beyond.
Before Sunday,Mahomeshad not been much of a presence at games attended by Swift, who was at Arrowhead Stadium to cheer for Kelce.
What are some of his more notable incidents?
At an NFL game in 2021,Jacksonrecorded a TikTok dance on the field at the Washington Commanders’ stadium while standing on the uniform number of Sean Taylor, an NFL star who was murdered in 2007 and was being honored with a jersey retirement ceremony that day.
Mahomeseventually apologized and said he had not intentionally danced on Taylor’s number.
“We were directed to stand in the area and I meant absolutely no disrespect to him or his family,”Mahomessaid in a statement posted on social media.
Earlier that year,Mahomesalso had a run-in with fans in Baltimore in which he responded to their taunts after a Chiefs loss by pouring water on them. He later justified the behavior by saying the fans were “thirsty.”
What about the assault accusation?
Jacksonwas briefly jailed in May and wound up being charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of battery.
His arrest came after an encounter on February 25 in which Aspen Vaughn, owner of a restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas, said she had been discussing an earlier incident with him, in which he was accused of shoving a customer, and that he grabbed her by the throat and kissed her at least twice.
“He forcibly kissed me out of nowhere,” Vaughn told The Kansas City Star. She said the advances were unwelcome and shocking.
The encounter was captured on video. WhileMahomesand his representatives have said that he is prohibited from discussing what happened, they issued a statement when the accusation was first reported that said they had “substantial evidence refuting the claims ofJackson’s accuser.”
He was released on a $100,000 bond. The preliminary hearing in the case was originally scheduled for August, but was delayed because the judge had tested positive for the coronavirus.
It was rescheduled for Tuesday of this week, but on Monday The Kansas City Star reported that it would be postponed again, asMahomes’ lawyers requested a continuance. A scheduling conference was to be held Tuesday instead.
Will Swift be at more Chiefs games?
We may not know for a while if Swift’s camp will step in to make sure there is more distance between her andJacksonMahomes, regardless of how his legal situation is resolved. That is because Swift’s Eras Tour resumes on November 9 in Argentina, with the South American leg of the tour finishing on November 26 with a show in Brazil.
Preparations for those dates could keep her away from Kansas City’s games on Sunday (in Denver) and on November 5 (against Miami in Frankfurt, Germany, as part of the NFL’s International Series).
There has been rampant speculation online, however, that Kelce could turn the tables on the situation and visit Swift. The Chiefs do not play on November 12, and while there would probably be practices in some form after the team returns from Europe, Kelce would be free to do as he pleases late in the week, meaning he could attend one of the shows in Buenos Aires.
With another break in the Eras Tour scheduled for December and January, Swift could be back for more Chiefs games as the regular season winds down. Her return would seemingly be welcomed by the team.
After Kelce recorded 179 yards receiving on Sunday — the second-highest single-game total of his career — Chiefs coach Andy Reid made it clear that he did not view Swift as a distraction.
“Kelce keeps getting better with time,” Reid said. “Taylor can stay around all she wants.”
(Published 25 October 2023, 06:09 IST)