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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley defended pop superstar Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, after she was booed by fans at Caesars Superdome during the Eagles' win against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
"I remember that they showed her on the Jumbotron and she got booed. I don't get it. I don't get why she was getting hate there," Barkley said during a recent radio interview. "She's there supporting her significant other and she's made the game bigger. We're trying to expand the game and her being a part of it's only helping that, so I don't get the slack that she's getting."
Swift, who was born in Pennsylvania and had previously claimed to be an Eagles fan prior to dating Kelce, appeared to be caught off guard by the negative response, mouthing, "What's going on?" to rapper Ice Spice. The singer has been the target of some NFL fans who have complained about the attention she's received for attending Kelce's games and the stadium appeared to be majority Eagles fans, with the Chiefs getting booed loudly during their team introduction prior to kickoff.
Tennis legend Serena Williams, who made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show, also showed her support of Swift in a post shared on her X account.
"I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!" Williams wrote.
Philadelphia defeated Kansas City, 40-22, to win its second Super Bowl in franchise history.