1000’s of Tremendous Bowl followers have been partying on Bourbon Avenue and glitzy, celebrity-filled events have been in full move on Friday evening with lower than 48 hours to go till the Tremendous Bowl.
However 4 miles throughout New Orleans, a quaint French restaurant within the relaxed and largely residential Uptown neighborhood grew to become the middle of the festivities.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift shocked locals once they strolled into subtle eatery ‘Lilette’, which markets itself as ‘the sexiest restaurant on the town’.
Cameras flashed, hordes of followers gathered to catch a glimpse, and social media was set ablaze with the identical query: are they actually out two nights earlier than the Tremendous Bowl?
It later emerged that Kelce was not the one Kansas Metropolis Chiefs star to momentarily take his eye off the prize. This can be a enterprise journey in spite of everything.
They have been joined by Patrick and Brittany Mahomes in a personal eating room, avoiding the hustle and bustle of the star-studded essential restaurant the place Joe Montana and Jennifer Coolidge have been among the many visitors.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce left followers shocked in New Orleans after they have been noticed on a dinner date at a French restaurant within the metropolis on Friday evening, 48 hours earlier than the Tremendous Bowl
Followers gathered exterior the restaurant because the couple ate with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes
The foursome stayed for a couple of hours however as phrase unfold on social media, Swifties hoping to get a glimpse of their hero gathered exterior to catch a peek.
Kelce and Swift left simply after 10pm, capping an evening out that has left Chiefs followers involved his thoughts could also be targeted on different issues and never the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The choice to exit has seen Kelce and Swift be accused of hypocrisy after each vowed to not let exterior distractions have an effect on his preparation for the sport.
Final 12 months earlier than the Chiefs’ win over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Kelce gave a reasonably sturdy opinion as to why gamers shouldn’t be out and about within the construct as much as an enormous sport.
Chatting with thousands and thousands of listeners on his New Heights podcast, the Chiefs star instructed his brother Jason: ‘We have one week, we do what we have to do then we will occasion in Vegas for the remainder of our lives.’
It additionally got here simply days after Swift was allegedly ‘frightened’ that her presence within the metropolis might drag consideration away from Kelce and the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl three-peat goals.
Based on stories, Swift wished the sport – and the build-up to it – to be all about Kelce and his staff, particularly in the event that they make historical past.
‘Taylor does not need to be the focal point,’ a supply was quoted as saying. ‘She simply needs to help Travis and assist him concentrate on the sport.
‘She needs Travis to take pleasure in his Tremendous Bowl week expertise and be at 110% for Sunday, as she is dreaming about him making Tremendous Bowl historical past and reaching one other dream of his, successful one other Tremendous Bowl and making a three-peat.’
Kelce and Mahomes pictured in apply on Thursday as they put together to face the Eagles
Kelce and the Chiefs have the prospect to grow to be the primary staff in NFL historical past to three-peat
However by going out so publicly simply 48 hours earlier than kickoff on the Superdome, Kelce has solely put critics on crimson alert if the Chiefs lose to the Eagles.
Chariah Gordon, whose fiance is Chiefs vast receiver Mecole Hardman Jr., revealed in November that Andy Reid imposes a strict 11pm curfew on his gamers.
It appears Kelce has not damaged any staff or league guidelines however that is about optics and he practiced on Saturday as anticipated.
Ought to the Chiefs’ two leaders actually be out and about so near a career-defining sport?
They’ve the prospect to make NFL historical past on Sunday. No staff has ever gained three Tremendous Bowls in a row however now in the event that they lose, questions shall be requested as to why Kelce and Mahomes have been out eating in New Orleans.
One factor we do know is that Swift wouldn’t have stayed with Kelce within the Chiefs’ Marriott resort.
NFL guidelines forestall WAGs from staying with their companions the evening earlier than video games. They’ll keep in the identical resort however can’t be in the identical room.
Coaches and gamers have spent the final two weeks because the AFC Championship sport win over the Buffalo Payments perfecting their sport plan for the Eagles and operating by means of it in apply.
The nights main as much as the sport are sometimes spent constructing staff camaraderie with group dinners, video games and different actions. It’s unusual for gamers to step out so near kickoff.
Kelce has been requested about his relationship with Swift numerous occasions in New Orleans
Kelce’s antics are a stark comparability to how Julian Edelman used to organize for Tremendous Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Speaking about his routine on the eve of the sport, he as soon as mentioned: ‘Eat. Then we’ve got conferences, normally. Go over the sport plan, go over the entire name sheet.
‘After which I take a bit of melatonin and go out. I prefer to be in mattress by 9 and watch some TV. Catch a flick after which find yourself falling asleep.’
As Chiefs followers on Bourbon Avenue absorbed the footage of their two main gamers out within the metropolis, some nervously questioned whether or not they’d taken their eye off the ball.
Social media was additionally crammed with opinions on the shock outing, with one fan labeling Kelce ‘unfocused’.
One other added: ‘Dangerous look. Kelce alleged to be locked in and watching movie. I am positive that outing might have waited.’
A 3rd particular person mentioned: ‘Usually the gamers don’t exit the week earlier than they’re taking part in within the Tremendous Bowl due to how critically they take the sport, or so I’m instructed. Even noticed an previous clip of that Kelce man saying that.’
Solely Kelce and Mahomes will know if the date evening was a distraction.
One factor is for positive although, in the event that they don’t carry out within the Superdome and the Chiefs lose, their evening out has given followers ammunition to criticize them with.
