The NFL star said he’ll “set it in flames” if he’s asked to sign the photo again.
Travis Kelce is used to having his photo taken after spending the last decade in the NFL. But there’s a photo circulating out in the world of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end that he despises.
“That card is disgusting, dude,” he said of his 2013 NFL rookie card. He was confronted with the card—and the photo of himself that’s on it—during the most recent episode of New Heights, the podcast he hosts alongside his brother, Jason Kelce.
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“Why would they pick that picture for my rookie card?” Travis wondered.
Ahead of the episode’s recording, a fan posted a photo of the card on the podcast’s Reddit page. The fan said Travis signed the card a few years ago while at a training camp.
Travis explained he hates the card because of the photo, which shows him holding a football while wearing an Under Armour shirt at an NFL draft combine. His mouth is open as he strikes a pose with the ball, holding it out in front of him. As a Nike athlete, Travis noted with a chuckle that it was the “only time I ever wore” an Under Armour shirt.
Jason, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, also questioned why the card didn’t instead feature a photo showing Travis playing football. “I just don’t get it,” he said, adding later with a laugh that it looks as if his brother is “trying to catch the ball with your mouth.”
Travis went on to describe the card as “pretty bad,” “terrible” and “hideous.”
“Anybody ever asks me to sign that card again, I’ll set it in flames, right there in front of you,” Travis said.
Despite the photo, Jason pointed out that the card could become valuable down the line. In addition to Travis’ two Super Bowl wins with the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022, he recently reached a new level of fame thanks to his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift. The couple began appearing together in public last fall, with Travis spotted at Swift’s concerts and Swift seen attending several Chiefs games.
Swift addressed their relationship during a recent interview for a TIME cover story, saying she and Travis are “proud of” and “showing up for” each other.
