Travis Kelce calls viral claim about massive charity donation ‘nonsense’

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Being one of the NFL’s biggest stars, an actor/TV gameshow host and the boyfriend of global megastar Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce has had to deal with his share of gossip.

But you can bet that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end didn’t think he’d have to clear the air about some charity work that he reportedly had been involved in.

Kelce addressed the viral report that he had made a huge donation to a charity in Kansas City, calling out the report as fake news.

During the latest episode of his New Heights podcast – which he cohosts with brother Jason Kelce, a retired NFL star — the Chiefs tight end explained that he “wasn’t doing what was falsely claimed by the social channels or outlets posting all this AI stuff.”

He also mentioned his friend, ESPN personality Pat McAfee, who had perpetuated the rumour last week.

“I gotta make a little statement in the don’t-believe-everything-you-read-kids category, realm that you see online. Some false claims were thrown out there that I was doing something in the community that I was not,” Kelce said during Wednesday’s show. “I’m not even going to talk about it specifically, I don’t want to bring any more attention to that whole nonsense and article and all that stuff.

“But if you ever want to know exactly what I’m doing in the community, just go to 87 & Running.org,” he said, referring to his official non-profit organization. “We’re always trying to get out there, get in the Kansas City communities, in the Cleveland community, but this time, I wasn’t doing what was falsely claimed by the social channels or outlets posting all this AI stuff.

“So just wanted to set the record straight, appreciate everybody for always trying to show — especially Pat McAfee, he’s always trying to look out for the guys, guys and women in the sports world.”

McAfee had called Kelce a “good human” while discussing the Daily Mail report that said the three-time Super Bowl champ had donated $3.3 million to Foster Love to build a facility for young homeless people in Kansas City.

The Daily Mail reported that Foster Love announced Kelce’s donation on social media, but the New York Post reports that the social media post has since been deleted, as has the story on the charity’s website.

The outlet also reported that Foster Love did not immediately return a request for comment on the situation.

Kelce founded his 87 and Running non-profit in 2015.

The organization’s mission statement says that it “empowers disadvantaged youth to achieve success by providing resources and support to their communities and cultivating their talent in the areas of education, business, athletics, STEM, and the arts.”