Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift drew a crowded guest list to their wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden on Friday, but one notable Kansas City Chiefs name was missing from the room.
According to the Daily Mail, kicker Harrison Butker did not attend and was the only current Chiefs player who did not receive an invitation. That stood out because Butker has been with Kelce in Kansas City since 2017, making his absence especially noticeable as teammates and friends gathered for the event.
Most of the Chiefs’ current roster made the cut, and several players were in New York for the celebration. Chris Jones, Kareem Hunt and Trent McDuffie were among those who attended. Mecole Hardman Jr. also received an invitation, along with Raiders TE coach Luke Steckel, Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp and Baker Mayfield.
Butker’s name has been tied to controversy since his graduation speech at Benedictine College two years ago, when he said that many women should focus on raising a family rather than building a career. In that same speech, he criticized then-President Joe Biden’s views on abortion and spoke against the LGBTQ+ community. More than 260,000 people later signed a petition asking the Chiefs to release him.
Kelce defended Butker in a May 2024 episode of the New Heights podcast, saying he did not agree with most of the kicker’s views but did not believe they should define him. “When it comes down to his views and what he said at the Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his,” Kelce said. “I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids.”
Kelce added, “I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life.”
Jason Kelce also pushed back on Butker’s comments while calling for respect for different opinions. “The things he said in the commencement speech are not things that I align myself with.”
Patrick Mahomes backed his teammate as well. “I’ve known Harrison for seven years and I judge him by the character that he shows every single day,” Mahomes said. “That’s a good person.”
Andy Reid offered a similar message. “Everybody is from different areas, different religions, different races, and so we all get along, we all respect each other’s opinions.”
In Other News...
Travis Kelce Hit With Serious Off Field Twist At Brutal Time
Travis Kelces off-field calendar has been every bit as crowded as his football one, and now it includes a federal trademark fight tied to the Kansas City steakhouse he co-owns with Patrick Mahomes. The case centers on 1587 Prime, a name built around the pairs jersey numbers, and it has put the Chiefs star in the middle of a dispute with 1587 Sneakers over who gets to use that branding.
The timing adds another layer to an already awkward situation, with the legal back-and-forth arriving just as Kelces personal life has been in the spotlight for another reason. The sneaker company says the players can be sued in New York because of national advertising campaigns, while Kelce and Mahomes are pushing back on the case there, leaving the venue question as the next key wrinkle to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Nearly Pulled Off The Most Absurd Broncos Move Yet
Sean Payton has never been shy about thinking big in Denver, but a new report from ESPNs Seth Wickersham suggests one of his most audacious ideas never got past the drawing board. According to the report, Payton explored the possibility of bringing Bill Belichick to the Broncos in a temporary role, a strange arrangement built around Belichicks pursuit of the NFLs all-time coaching wins record before Payton would eventually step back in.
It is the kind of concept that sounds more like a late-night what-if than an actual staffing plan, and apparently it never advanced because it was simply too complicated. Still, it says plenty about the lengths some coaches will consider when legacy and history are in play, especially with Belichick now at North Carolina after his long run in New England. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Kelce Wedding Snub Has Chiefs Fans Eyeing One Friendship
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swifts wedding at Madison Square Garden was always going to draw a crowd, and the reported guest list lived up to the billing with roughly 1,000 people in attendance. The mix of celebrities and familiar football faces made it one of those events that quickly became a talking point well beyond the entertainment world, especially for Chiefs fans who follow every twist in Kelces off-field orbit as closely as they do his catches.
Will Comptons reaction has only added to the chatter around who made the cut and who did not, while Taylor Lewan also weighed in on the guest list and the possibility that some absences carried more meaning than others. For Kansas City, it is another reminder that Kelces personal life still has a way of spilling into the football conversation, and this latest round of speculation has people around the league looking hard at one friendship in particular. [Read more 🡒]