But the Chiefs’ defensive coach, Dave Merritt, 52, has now revealed Swift had been secretly checking out Kelce’s form long before the snaps emerged.
He said on The Sports Shop With Reese and K-Mac podcast: “When she started to come around, it was privately. She was coming into the stadiums without people really knowing until the camera put a big spotlight on it.”
Merritt said Swift not only helped Kelce change for the better, but brought about positive changes to the Chiefs as a team.
He said: “She actually affected the team in a positive way. It wasn’t a negative way. Everybody was excited and Travis was happy.
Taylor Swift watches from a suite alongside Travis Kelce's mother, Donna Kelce, during a Chicago Bears v Kansas City Chiefs game. Photo / AP
“So when my player, a brother, is happy beside me, that helps me and that encourages me and so Travis came in there a different man. So, she helped us.”
Former linebacker Merritt also said Swift — who has been targeted by critics for being constantly featured in TV shots of NFL games — was like a “little sister” to the team.
Swift has told Time magazine she and Kelce started dating just after she heard he tried to give her a friendship bracelet with his number on it in the summer of 2023.
She said: “So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other.
“I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game?
”We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
