Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is coming to Taylor Swift’s defense after she was booed during Super Bowl LIX.
“I remember that they showed her on the Jumbotron and she got booed,” Barkley, 28, said during a Wednesday, February 12, appearance on The Howard Stern Show. “I don’t get it. I don’t get why she was getting hate there.”
Barkley’s comment came as he was discussing the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs during this year’s Super Bowl, which took place on Sunday, February 9. Swift, 35, was in attendance to support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“She’s there supporting her significant other and she’s made the game bigger,” Barkley continued. “In football, we’re all about, how can we expand the game and make it more internationally? We’re traveling to Brazil and we’re traveling to Mexico, and apparently, we’re traveling to Australia soon, so we’re trying to expand the game. Her being a part of it’s only helping that, so I don’t get the slack that she’s getting.”
Related: Athletes Who Have Defended Taylor Swift Attending NFL Games
Getty Images (3) Many professional athletes do not agree with the “dads, Brads and Chads” hating on Taylor Swift’s attendance at NFL games. Swift has been a fixture at boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs games since September 2023, with the NFL occasionally showing her on the Jumbotron and on the broadcast when Kelce has […]
Swift was shown on the Jumbotron at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, where Super Bowl LIX took place. The crowd could be heard booing, which appeared to confuse the singer. (Adam Sandler and Paul Rudd were greeted with cheers. President Donald Trump was met with both cheers and boos when he entered the stadium, per Reuters.)
Barkley isn’t the only one who has come to Swift’s defense. Swift’s friend Serena Williams took to social media in support of the singer after the incident occurred.
“I love you @taylorswift13,” Williams, who was at the game, shared via X on Sunday. “Don’t listen to those booos!!”
Sports reporters Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson — who were also in New Orleans on Sunday — had a lot of thoughts on their “Calm Down With Erin and Charissa” podcast.
“I feel bad for the most famous, amazing woman in the world who f—ing gets booed at the Super Bowl. Get out of here,” Andrews, 46, declared during the Tuesday, February 11 episode. “I love her. I love her.”
Thompson, 42, tried to understand the fans’ feelings.
“I love the [Eagles] fandom. Eagles are proud fans. They are gonna hate her on that day because you’re rooting for your team,” she said. “Taylor, we all know Erin and I’s affinity for her. She handles everything so well. And so does Travis. He handles this so well. They both handle [things] with so much grace.”
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