No, Brett Favre Didn’t Say Taylor Swift Is Dating Travis Kelce for Publicity or a Money Grab
1. I don’t like defending Brett Favre, but I despise what Twitter has become in terms of the anarchy and ease with which fake news gets spread, so I want to show you guys an example of how nonsense happens.
This morning, this tweet was retweeted into my timeline:
Brett Favre on BILLIONAIRE, record-breaking musician with half a BILLION followers online, Taylor Swift:
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 16, 2024
"She's obviously using Travis Kelce for publicity. It's a money grab that's not going to end well.”
Is this dude insane? Unhappy people are typically outraged when happy… pic.twitter.com/lbHxiHy8To
When I saw the tweet, I immediately thought something was fishy because no reasonable human being would think Taylor Swift needs publicity or money, but this was apparently coming from Brett Favre, so I said to myself “Who knows, you better do some digging.”
The person who tweeted it, Brian Krassenstein has 800,000 followers, so I figured maybe this could be legit. But Krassenstein didn’t reveal where Favre said this, didn’t cite a source and didn’t let anyone know where he got this quote.
So my digging led me to this tweet.
BREAKING FOX NEWS: Welare theif Brett Farve on the NFL Network blasted Taylor Swift..."She's obviously using Travis Kelce for publicity. It's a money grab that's not going to end well. Eventually the Cheifs are going to lose & it will be her fault. She's bad for football." pic.twitter.com/i4xGkpu3KL
— Staff Sergeant Johnson (@PatMaguire10) January 15, 2024
Now this one seemed REALLY fishy because I didn’t think the NFL Network would have Brett Favre on these days and if Favre had said this on the NFL Network, it would be all over the place.
So I clicked on that tweet to see the person’s profile and this is right in their bio: “Raw & Unfiltered Parody Account.”
So Krassenstein got duped by a parody account. However, as of 12:30 p.m. ET when I’m writing this, his tweet has 500,000 views, and based on his timeline, Krassenstein has no clue he’d been had.
The fact that so many people would believe the quote tells you all you need to know about Favre. And he did himself no favors by telling TMZ last week that if the Chiefs don’t win the Super Bowl, fans will blame Swift.
Brett Favre Expects Fans To Make Taylor Swift Scapegoat If Chiefs Don't Make SB | Click to read more ???? https://t.co/HkimYroLD6
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) January 13, 2024
But even Favre can’t be accused of saying Taylor Swift needed a money grab. And Twitter is the absolute worst.
2. Lost amid the Eagles’ stunning and surreal collapse, which culminated in a loss against the Bucs on Monday night, was that the Tush Push was finally stopped.
BUCS STOPPED THE EAGLES' TUSH PUSH! ????#PHIvsTB pic.twitter.com/0tbFXVkrEb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 16, 2024
Is it a coincidence that the Tush Push finally got stopped just a couple of days after Kyle Brandt had Neil deGrasse Tyson break down just how to stop the Tush Push on the NFL Network?
Neil deGrasse Tyson studies the Eagles’ Tush Push.
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) January 16, 2024
A few of his conclusions:
-Worst thing a defender can do is leap over the pile
-Jalen Hurts’ being a prolific squatter gives him no advantage. pic.twitter.com/JYPvcvweIG
3. Everyone loves the fact that the Cowboys once again flamed out early in the playoffs—except Dallas fans, CBS and Fox.
Fox loses the Cowboys for the divisional round and NFC championship, while CBS misses out on the chance of airing a Cowboys Super Bowl.
Say what you want about Dallas, but there isn’t a better commodity in sports television. The Cowboys’ embarrassing loss to the Packers on Sunday drew 40 million viewers. That’s up 20% over the Giants-Vikings game that aired in the same window last year.
4. The wholesomeness here is just tremendous. Check out the reaction of 19-year-old Grizzles rookie GG Jackson when Shaq asked him a question after he scored 23 points in Memphis’s 116–107 win against Golden State on Monday.
.@_ggjackson's reaction to hearing @SHAQ in his postgame interview ???? pic.twitter.com/zAeZJlFqpa
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 16, 2024
5. Is it worth getting hypothermia to have cameras shows you shirtless on TV during a football game that’s being played in -5° weather? I’d say no, but only these Chiefs fans can answer the question.
First responders treated dozens for hypothermia-related concerns Saturday at the Chiefs vs Dolphins game. https://t.co/VQjpengbi0
— FOX4 News Kansas City (@fox4kc) January 16, 2024
6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with author, reporter and journalist James Andrew Miller.
Miller, who literally wrote the book on ESPN, pulls back the curtain on Pat McAfee’s on-air claim that executive Norby Williamson is trying to sabotage his show and leak information to the press.
Miller also weighs in on the Aaron Rodgers–Jimmy Kimmel feud, the Pat McAfee Show’s role in the drama and who made the decision to discontinue Rodgers’s appearances on the show during the NFL playoffs.
In addition, Miller discusses the return (and series end) of Curb Your Enthusiasm on Feb. 4 as well as the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos.
Following Miller, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I had never seen this one before until I ended up in a YouTube rabbit hole last night. The great Pat Summerall and John Madden do their thing when a pigeon interrupts the action.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.