Skip Bayless hurled allegations of tampering at the NFL, blaming Taylor Swift and her followers for the alleged interference.
The Kansas City Chiefs punched their ticket to the AFC Championship game for the seventh straight year on Saturday with a 24-13 division victory over the Houston Texans.
While the Chiefs kept their three-peat Super Bowl hopes alive, fans on social media were left fuming with a number of controversial calls that favored the reigning champions.
And former Fox Sports analyst Bayless shared their anger when he appeared to suggest the game was rigged so the NFL could continue to benefit from the Taylor Swift effect.
'Ball game. CONGRATULATIONS, NFL. You made sure MAHOMES survived. THE SWIFTIES WILL BE BACK IN FULL STRENGTH FOR THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. YOU GAVE MAHOMES THE REFEREE SUPPORT HE NEEDED,” Bayless posted aggressively on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Swift is credited with attracting a new demographic — mostly young women — to the NFL since she started dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in 2023.
Skip Bayless accused the NFL of rigging the Kansas City Chiefs' playoffs on Saturday
The former Fox analyst claimed the NFL was trying to please Taylor Swift's fans
Bayless threw his accusations at the league in an aggressive social media post
Since their love story went public just over 18 months ago, the NFL has benefited from an increase in viewership.
Last season's Super Bowl, in which the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in a thrilling overtime win, averaged 123.4 million viewers.
And the pop sensation cheered on her NFL boyfriend again Saturday night from a luxury suite at Arrowhead Stadium.
The singer was spotted wildly celebrating with WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark after Kelce hauled in a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes.
The singer and the Indiana Fever star were filmed hugging and high-fiving in celebration in their suite amid a tense match at times in Kansas City.
But Bayless also struggled with the happy scenes as he scolded the basketball phenom for sharing a suite with Swift.
“WAIT, CAITLIN CLARK IS IN THE ARROWHEAD BOX WITH TAYLOR SWIFT???” Bayless wrote about X and tried to strengthen his argument using the caps lock. “CAITLIN, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SEEN WITH HER. YOU ARE BIGGER THAN THEM.”
It's unclear why Bayless considers Clark “bigger” than the world-famous pop star, but at least he continued in all caps for his final five words of advice: “STAY ON YOUR OWN PATH.”
Swift (L) talks with Caitlin Clark (R) of the Indiana Fever on Saturday in Arrowhead
Clark's presence in Arrowhead Stadium's VIP suite should hardly have come as a surprise.
Not only is she a lifelong Chiefs fan, but the Fever Guard was recently a guest on New Heights, the popular podcast hosted by Kelce and his brother Jason.
Meanwhile, it was Swift's first Chiefs game in almost a month. Her most recent appearance came on December 21, when Kelce and his teammates defeated the Houston Texans, who they play on Saturday.
Earlier in the evening, an excited Swift was filmed riling up a group of Chiefs fans as she marched into Arrowhead, telling them as she headed to her luxury suite, “How are you?” You're here early.' She then clapped her hands before adding, “I love it.”
DailyMail.com exclusively depicted Swift and her family leaving her New York City apartment early Saturday to make the trip.
She was then filmed arriving at the stadium with her parents, Scott and Andrea, and brother Austin. They even beat Kelce at the stadium, with the tight end arriving shortly after.
