America’s Sweetheart Travis Kelce Covers GQ’s September Issue

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The countdown is on until the official start to the NFL season, and Travis Kelce is kicking things off as the cover star of GQ’s September issue.

Kelce was candid while speaking with GQ about his intense off-season training regime, mentally refocusing on the game, his humble start and family life, his relationship with Taylor Swift, and in addressing retirement rumors.

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Addressing the troubling NFL seasons behind and looking ahead to his twelfth season with the Kansas City Chiefs…

“Win a Super Bowl is the only goal. It’s the only goal. It’s every goal.”

“I think it might have slipped a little bit because I did have a little bit more focus trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture into a new world of acting and being an entertainer. I don’t say this as ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want to be the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been my standard.”

On how he channels negative emotions during a game…

“When I’m out on the field, I can hit somebody, I can talk shit. That’s where the meaner side of me is or the asshole side of me.”

On how therapy helped him following his collegiate suspension for marijuana use…

“I had to sit down with a shrink for an hour a week. He got me to look at my life way more strategically. He got me to understand that you go through these emotions, and your reaction can either help you or hurt you or be indifferent. He walked me through all these different phases of my life. … I started to understand and process these emotions completely differently. You start to control it and not let it get too crazy.”

On how he feels about the rise in media scrutiny since dating Swift…

“You can’t block that [attention] out. If someone says something that they don’t like about you, you have to be able to understand how you are portraying yourself for them to say that. I’m a guy who doesn’t want anyone to say anything negative about me. Some people don’t give a fuck. I’m someone who does care.”

“I do want people to look at me like I’m doing good in the world. I’m influencing and being somebody that has done it the right way.”

On his ambivalence about being pegged as the “meathead jock” stereotype…

“I find it funny. I joke about it. It is what it is. I’m just out here living life. I don’t necessarily want everyone to think that I’m an idiot…There’s always something to learn. Acting like you’re the smartest one in the room just isn’t the way to go.”

On sharing the spotlight in his relationship with Swift…

“I get to be the plus one. I get to go and be that fan. Because I am a fan. I’m a fan of the music. I’m a fan of art. And it’s so cool that I get to experience her being that plus one for me on the football field…I feel that same enjoyment every time she comes to my shows.”

On finding similarities between Swift and his mother, Donna…

“Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room. Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic. I saw my mother reach goals that she had set for herself, go from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building. I’ve seen Taylor do the exact same thing of setting goals for herself and exceeding the expectations and really captivating the world in that regard.”

On what’s next when he’s done playing (though Kelce did not discuss the timing or terms of an NFL exit)…

“I know that I want to stay around the football world as a profession and then dabble in other areas as well.”

“I do want to have free time. I do want to have the ability to be around my family. I don’t want to get too busy to where I’m traveling all over the world and I’m not present at home.”

The full feature is available on GQ.com today, and the September issue will be on newsstands August 19.

Photographs by Ryan McGinley
Styled by Law Roach
Hair by Thom Priano

[Photo Credit: Ryan McGinley/GQ Magazine]

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