C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s Pre-Super Bowl Message Led to Kelce Drama

Before the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl 2025 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, C.J. Gardner-Johnson delivered an impassioned, expletive-laden speech to his teammates. A video shared by the Eagles on YouTube captured Gardner-Johnson’s emotional message on the eve of the big game. “It’s emotional for me to be here. Talk all this st. Going to win,” he declared. “Fk their legacy, bro, simple. A lot of y’all been through a lot of st, bro, a lot of st. We ain’t got to say s**t if we win it cause our story is going to tell itself.”

Following the Eagles’ win, Gardner-Johnson’s words took on a new dimension when he ignited post-game drama with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. He shared an Instagram photo of himself and Kelce with a caption referencing Kelce’s former relationship with Kayla Nicole, suggesting he “should’ve stayed with that thick s**t.” This sparked a backlash from Taylor Swift fans (“Swifties”), given Kelce’s current relationship with the pop star.

The Swifties retaliated by flooding the Yelp page of a Florida restaurant owned by Gardner-Johnson’s mother with negative reviews. She confirmed to TMZ that the restaurant had already closed in late January. Gardner-Johnson doubled down on the controversy during the Eagles’ championship parade, sporting a sweatshirt with a vulgar message directed at Swift’s fans.

Kelce and Swift have remained relatively quiet since the Super Bowl. Kelce is reportedly considering his future in football.

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