Why Travis Kelce’s Bad Behavior Towards His Coach Disgusts Me For My Sons and Daughters.

The Chiefs’ star player (and Taylor’s boyfriend) set a less-than-stellar example on the field for all the world to see.

Watching Super Bowl LVIII was a family affair in our house. My young sons, ages 3 and 5, were in it for the snacks. My three daughters, who are between the ages of 10 and 15, were in it for Taylor Swift, obviously. Me? The commercials, but I digress.

You see, we were all having a great time until the shove seen ‘round the world interrupted our formerly G-rated fun. I’m referring of course to Taylor’s boyfriend, as he’s most well-known, A.K.A. Travis Kelce. At one point when sidelined, he proceeded to hip-check Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, a man 30 years his senior. Kelce also screamed so vehemently in Reid’s face that viewers at home could almost see his sweat and spittle rebounding off that famous, two-tone mustache.

This wasn’t the first time we’ve witnessed Kelce behaving badly. Fans will recall his helmet-throwing incident earlier in the season. But the scary moment at the Super Bowl some X users said constituted assault was the first time my kids saw #87 exhibit behavior that quite frankly is completely unacceptable for so many reasons.

Namely, as I watched my sons digest what was happening on our big screen, my heart sank. There they were, at super impressionable ages, staring up at a man whose jersey their peers wear, and for whom their family gathered in part to celebrate—and he was acting out with scary aggression toward someone he is supposed to respect. What kind of message is it sending to my boys that Kelce has achieved the highest levels of success, and behaves this way?

Then, my focus turned to my girls, Swifties with devotion to the singer that runs so deep, it’s in their veins. They worship everything about Swift, from her music, to her lipstick color—as well as her relationships. And there they were, with a front-row seat to the “What It’s Like to Go Out With Travis Kelce Tour.” Dreamy, or dangerous?

Shaking off my own disgust, I decided it was time for a teachable moment before Usher took center stage. First, I made sure my sons heard me talking about how badly that player acted and reminded them we don’t push or disrespect anyone, including a teacher or coach. The good news is their father is a good role model for how to conduct yourself in an acceptable manner when you feel frustrated or upset.

Meanwhile, my girls were already chatting about being so done with Kelce. “Taylor should dump him,” my oldest daughter announced, easing my mind immensely. “He’s bad news,” she added, going on to wonder aloud how he treats his girlfriend in private. My fifth grader swiftly declared that the singer can have anyone she wants and that she doesn’t understand why her living icon would date someone who acts like that.

I can only hope that other young girls watching the Super Bowl had similar thoughts and discussions with adults in their lives. Because ultimately, while we don’t have proof that Kelce is in any way abusive toward Swift, or that she was even upset by the incident, it’s important to talk to future girlfriends and wives about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior from their partners. We need to educate Swifties and non-Swifties alike about red flags to look out for as they get to know someone and when to get help.

After my kids went to bed, I kept thinking about Kelce’s behavior and was especially turned off when Kansas City won the game, and he began celebrating, confetti falling everywhere, and reporters chasing after him. Later, my mental head shaking only grew more intense when the tight end brushed off the viral moment. As Kelce also told reporters in part, “He’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion and I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get. I just love him, man.”

Passion? Emotion? I saw anger management issues, and felt worried for the Eras Tour mastermind—and I wasn’t alone, judging by the fact that Kelce and Swift’s relationship is trending online. I also couldn’t help but wonder if Reid enables his star player to act this way. On the CBS postgame show, Reid joked—yes, joked, with a big smile on his face—that Kelce, “keeps him young.”

The red-jacket-adorned coach added, “The part I love is that he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win. It’s not a selfish thing, that’s not what it is, and I understand that. So as much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that.”

I’m glad they have an understanding. I’m also glad my daughters understood what they saw was super uncool. As far as my boys looking up to a professional athlete, I’ll be directing their attention elsewhere, whether Swift does so as well or not.