Morning sports update: Travis Kelce explained why he thinks Patriots fans ‘hated’ him
"Because I wore 87, all of a sudden the Pats nation absolutely hated me."
On Wednesday, Jaylen Brown made an appearance on CNN to discuss the possibility of the NBA season resuming after its months-long suspension due to COVID-19. Though he said that “all of us want to play,” Brown added that safety remains the players’ top priority.
“We don’t want to come back too early and make people feel like things are OK and that things are not potentially dangerous,” Brown explained.
Travis Kelce on Patriots fans: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been one of the most prolific tight ends in the NFL over the last few seasons, totaling more than 1,000 yards receiving in each season since 2016.
When he was first emerging, he drew comparisons to another No. 87: Rob Gronkowski. Not everyone graded Kelce favorably against Gronkowski — most notably former Patriot Rob Ninkovich — but the 30-year-old Chief has has own explanation as to why New England fans might have not liked him.
“Pats fans, for whatever reason, just hated me for being a white tight end wearing 87,” said Kelce during an appearance on “The Lefkoe Show.” “Like, if I would have had on 84, none of this would have ever been talked about. But because I wore 87, all of a sudden the Pats nation absolutely hated me.”
Brady vs. Mahomes
Gronk vs. Kelce@tkelce explains the real rivalry between the Patriots and Chiefs 👁(via @lefkoeshow) pic.twitter.com/v6UHSfA0H8
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) May 13, 2020
In Kelce’s view, the Patriots-Chiefs rivalry is all about the two teams’ legendary head coaches.
“What it’s really always been is Belichick-Reid,” said Kelce.
Of course, Kelce is still backing Tom Brady in the upcoming charity golf event match involving Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson.
“Never count Brady out,” Kelce concluded.
Travis Kelce’s not betting against Brady and Phil (+210) next weekend 🏆
(via @lefkoeshow) pic.twitter.com/rHfEqHe1Iz
— br_betting (@br_betting) May 12, 2020
Trivia: A Red Sox player once led the American League with just 15 stolen bases over an entire season (a record low for a league leader). Name that player.
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: His nickname was “The Little Professor.”
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- New Patriots wide receiver Marqise Lee is eager for a fresh start after injuries
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- Jeremy Lin discussed how Asian Americans are facing discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Ty Law loved this vodka so much, he signed on to help manufacture it. He wants you to love it, too
- NFL extends virtual offseason work through May
- How the PGA Tour plans to return to action next month
- Bidding for Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl LI ring has topped $1 million
- Patriots ticket prices declined 39 percent on the secondary market, the largest drop in the NFL
- ‘It’s definitely something different’: What Zdeno Chara said about returning to play without fans
Running back LeSean McCoy has some Endgame regrets:
Remember when LeSean McCoy tweeted about Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame before anybody saw it?
We asked him about it. Incredible response ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/yRd8brzBb3
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) May 13, 2020
An incoming Patriots rival?
On this day: In 1981, the Celtics defeated the Rockets to win the NBA championship for the 14th time in team history. Boston’s 102-91 victory in Game 6 was spurred by Larry Bird’s 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Classic rewind: That time Danny Amendola caught a punt at training camp in 2014 while holding four other footballs (kicking one of them to himself):
Trivia answer: Dom DiMaggio
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