Taylor Swift's association with the Kansas City Chiefs may be influencing NFL referees on the field, according to Stephen A. Smith.
Fans were left furious Saturday night when Kansas City benefited from two highly controversial calls in their playoff victory over the Houston Texans, which Swift watched from his private suite at Arrowhead.
The Texans were penalized for what many considered very soft fouls against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy calling one of them a “disgrace.”
ESPN commentator Troy Aikman also said he “couldn't disagree more” with an unnecessary harsh call on Mahomes during the third quarter.
And amid outrage on social media over referees 'fixing' games for back-to-back Super Bowl champions, Smith has suggested that Swift, the high-profile girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, could be a of the reasons why they are suffering from the green problem.
Taylor Swift's association with Chiefs may be influencing referees, says Stephen A. Smith
Smith made the controversial statement after Kansas City's playoff victory over the Houston Texans.
“This is where the controversy comes in, and it's awkward, but we'll say it because it's the first take,” the ESPN analyst said after Saturday's game.
'We're going to bring up the popularity of Patrick Mahomes because of his greatness, we're going to bring up the fact that he has box office appeal. Let's mention the fact that Taylor Swift is a Chiefs fan and Travis Kelce's lady doesn't hurt.
“That's not to say that officials are going out and doing these things intentionally, but it's not that the audience, especially the opposition, doesn't have a reason to look at some of that stuff and say, 'What's going on?' What the hell? is happening here?
At the end of Saturday's game, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans took a thinly veiled swipe at NFL referees by suggesting his team was against “everyone” that day at Arrowhead.
However, defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who was assessed one of the controversial penalties for a tackle on Mahomes, went a step further and claimed that Houston knew it would be “us against the refs” in Kansas City.
'If you're DeMeco Ryans you can't say that. If you are one of the players you can't say that. But no one is going to fine me for it,” Smith continued.
'Again, I don't know. But I know that (passer call brutality) didn't have to be called against Will Anderson. I know there were several calls against the Houston Texans that were very questionable.
“And what the Kansas City Chiefs have to respect is that there are people who will look at that and say, 'Why?'
Patrick Mahomes benefited from some controversial decisions in his divisional playoff victory.
Houston coach DeMeco Ryans took a thinly veiled dig at the referees after their loss.
Smith believes Swift could be one of the reasons the refs are giving the Chiefs the green problem.
Swift returned to Arrowhead over the weekend for the first time since the Chiefs' regular-season matchup against the Texans on Dec. 21.
The pop megastar was filmed cheering on a group of Chiefs fans as he marched toward Arrowhead, telling them as he headed to his luxury suite: 'How's it going? You guys arrived early.' He then clapped his hands before adding: “I love it.”
DailyMail.com exclusively photographed Swift and her family leaving their New York City apartment early Saturday to make the trip.
She was then filmed arriving at the stadium with her parents, Scott and Andrea, and her brother Austin. They even beat Kelce to the stadium and the tight end arrived right after.
Swift watched the game alongside WNBA superstar and Chiefs fan Caitlin Clark, and the pair were seen hugging when Kelce scored a touchdown in the game.