NFL alum Carl Banks has biting message for Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce haters

Carl Banks had a pointed message for those who hate on Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship.Getty Images

They need to calm down.

Former NFL linebacker Carl Banks has no time for the negativity surrounding Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s whirlwind romance.

“I’m not down with the negative energy. I’m loving all of what they’re doing. I’m here for it,” he told Page Six exclusively at the Starter x MSX by Michael Strahan Super Bowl LVIII collection launch party at Arthur & Sons in NYC on Thursday.

“[Their relationship] is one of the great moments of this NFL season and anybody that’s got a problem with it, they need to cope harder,” he continued.

The “Anti-Hero” singer, 34, has garnered criticism for attending the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s games and being excessively shown on TV throughout the season.

Banks — who teamed up with Strahan to bring Vegas-inspired fashion to this year’s big game — noted, however, that Swift has done nothing to warrant the backlash.

“[Their relationship] is one of the great moments of this NFL season,” Banks told Page Six Thursday. NHLI via Getty Images The former NFL linebacker added that those who have a problem with Kelce and Swift’s romance need to “cope harder.” Getty Images

“If you can show my good friend Spike Lee at every Knicks game and every opponent’s game, then why not Taylor?” the 61-year-old New York Giants radio analyst questioned.

Lee has been a New York Knicks season ticket holder since the ’80s and is a regular fixture at Madison Square Garden, the team’s home arena, during basketball season.

However, the 66-year-old director’s courtside antics — including feuding with security guards and heckling opposing players — have landed him in hot water over the years.

Swift, who attended more than a dozen Chiefs games throughout the 2023-2024 season, has been accused of “ruining the NFL.” AP However, she is only shown on TV for around 25 seconds per game, the New York Times reports. AP Banks pointed out that if director Spike Lee can regularly go to Knicks games, Swift should be able to attend Chiefs matches without backlash. AP

Yet it is Swift who has been accused of ruining football and distracting Kelce, 34, who was riddled with dropped passes and mistakes during the regular season.

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According to the New York Times, The “Blank Space” songstress has typically been given just 25 seconds of airtime during Chiefs games, which run for more than three hours.

Banks (right) and Strahan (left) teamed up to created a collection of clothing designed to “subtly reflect the aesthetics of the Vegas strip,” just in time for the 2024 Super Bowl, which the singer will attend. Starter The drop featues sequin-bedazzled satin jackets, leather jackets, classic windbreakers and more, all with Vegas-inspired motifs.

“The NFL didn’t beg her to come,” Banks noted. “Travis Kelce reached out to her; he offered her a friendship bracelet. It’s a beautiful story and it’s one that’s worthy of the NFL celebrating and her fans celebrating.”

Swift and Kelce secretly began their romance in the summer of 2023, about two months before she attended her first Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

Since then, she has flown around the country to watch the Pro Bowler compete and will even rush back from performing in Tokyo to make it to the Super Bowl, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.