As Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes, the spouse of Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, slapped arms and bumped hips in a landing celebration that took over social media on Sunday evening, a person in a white T-shirt and a backward baseball cap clapped behind them. The handshake completed with each ladies turning round and celebrating with the person, who bent all the way down to their degree with a broad smile.
Nothing in regards to the man’s actions was notably noteworthy. However the Swifties who had not adopted soccer earlier than Ms. Swift started going to Chiefs video games this season quickly realized what N.F.L. followers had identified for years: Jackson Mahomes, who’s Patrick Mahomes’s brother, has a knack for getting himself into the highlight. And his private historical past, which incorporates an arrest on prices of sexual battery, has the flexibility to complicate what has been a reasonably simple relationship between Travis Kelce, a decent finish for the Chiefs and one among soccer’s most beloved gamers, and Ms. Swift, one of many world’s hottest musicians.
It was a scenario that generated loads of memes, and quite a lot of requires the N.F.L. or the Chiefs to step in.
Ms. Swift’s followers are identified for locating Easter eggs in just about something she does and sniffing out any potential flaws in her romantic relationships. What they’re studying about Jackson Mahomes is more likely to proceed to generate a substantial amount of dialogue.
Who’s Jackson Mahomes?
Mr. Mahomes, 23, is the youthful brother of Patrick Mahomes, 28, the quarterback of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. With 1.1 million followers on TikTok, Jackson Mahomes is a social media influencer who has parlayed his connection to his well-known brother, and his friendship together with his sister-in-law, Brittany Mahomes, to be an everyday fixture at N.F.L. video games and past.
Earlier than Sunday, Mr. Mahomes had not been a lot of a presence at video games attended by Ms. Swift, who was there to cheer for Mr. Kelce.
What are a few of his extra notable incidents?
At an N.F.L. sport in 2021, Jackson recorded a TikTok dance on the sector on the Washington Commanders’ stadium whereas standing on the uniform variety of Sean Taylor, an N.F.L. star who was murdered in 2007 and was being honored with a jersey retirement ceremony that day. Mr. Mahomes finally apologized and stated he had not deliberately danced on Mr. Taylor’s quantity.
“We have been directed to face within the space and I meant completely no disrespect to him or his household,” Mr. Mahomes stated in a statement posted on social media.
Earlier that yr, Mr. Mahomes additionally had a run-in with followers in Baltimore during which he responded to their taunts after a Chiefs loss by pouring water on them. He later justified the behavior by saying the followers have been “thirsty.”
What in regards to the assault accusation?
Jackson was briefly jailed in Could and wound up being charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one depend of battery. His arrest got here after an encounter on Feb. 25 during which Aspen Vaughn, the proprietor of a restaurant in Overland Park, Kan., stated that she had been discussing an earlier incident with him, during which he was accused of shoving a buyer, and that he grabbed her by the throat and kissed her a minimum of twice.
“He forcibly kissed me out of nowhere,” Ms. Vaughn told The Kansas City Star. She stated the advances have been unwelcome and surprising.
The encounter was captured on video. Whereas Mr. Mahomes and his representatives have stated that he’s prohibited from discussing what occurred, they issued a press release when the accusation was first reported that stated they’d “substantial proof refuting the claims of Jackson’s accuser.”
He was launched on a $100,000 bond and his preliminary hearing in the case will probably be held on Tuesday, after the unique August date was pushed again as a result of the decide within the case examined optimistic for the coronavirus.
Will Ms. Swift be at extra Chiefs video games?
We could not know for some time if Ms. Swift’s camp will step in to verify there may be extra distance between her and Jackson, no matter how his authorized scenario is resolved. That’s as a result of Ms. Swift’s Eras Tour resumes on Nov. 9 in Argentina, with the South American leg of the tour ending on Nov. 26 with a present in Brazil.
Preparations for these dates might maintain her away from Kansas Metropolis’s video games on Sunday (in Denver) and on Nov. 5 (at dwelling towards Miami).
There was rampant hypothesis on-line, nevertheless, that Mr. Kelce might flip the tables on the scenario and go to Ms. Swift. The Chiefs don’t play on Nov. 12, and whereas there would most likely be practices from Monday via Wednesday, Mr. Kelce could be free to do as he pleases on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, that means he might attend one of many exhibits in Buenos Aires.
With one other break within the Eras Tour scheduled for December and January, Ms. Swift may very well be again for extra Chiefs video games because the common season winds down. Her return would seemingly be welcomed by the crew. After Mr. Kelce recorded 179 yards receiving on Sunday — the second-highest single-game complete of his profession — Chiefs Coach Andy Reid made it clear that he didn’t view Ms. Swift as a distraction.
“Kelce retains getting higher with time,” Mr. Reid stated. “Taylor can keep round all she needs.”
