San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud is laser-focused on Super Bowl LVIII — not on meeting Taylor Swift, who is expected to be in attendance.
The Niners will meet the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 11, in Las Vegas. As has been the case most of the season, wherever the Chiefs go, Swift follows in support of boyfriend Travis Kelce.
While many throughout the league have been enchanted to meet the 34-year-old superstar, McCloud isn’t concerned with getting an autograph or photo.
“This is football,” he told TMZ Sports on Friday, February 9.
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When asked directly whether he would seek out Swift, McCloud — who has a background in music himself — put away all doubt. “Hell nah,” he said.
“I’m a big fan of greatness,” he continued. “She’s great at what she do. She big time. But, hey, this is football. We don’t care about no album coming out. We don’t care about none of that.”
That might put McCloud, 27, in the minority. Social media users and fans have been abuzz since Swift announced her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, at the Grammys earlier this month. The album drops on Friday, April 19.
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While McCloud is best known for his play on the field, he and a group of other NFL players made history last year, becoming the first active pros to have their music featured in the famed Madden series’ official soundtrack. “For me, it was surreal just to do something I love on a game I’ve grew up playing my whole life,” McCloud told TMZ at the time.
As for Swift, she likely won’t have much time to carouse with the athletes and other celebs in Vegas this weekend anyway. She’s currently in Tokyo on her worldwide Eras Tour and will be there through Saturday, February 10. Fans won’t have to worry, though — she should make it to Sin City in plenty of time to see Kelce chase his third Super Bowl ring.
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In fact, the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., even put out a statement this week assuring fans that Swift would be able to make it back to the U.S. in time for the game’s 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
“Despite the 12-hour flight and 17-hour time difference, the Embassy can confidently Speak Now to say that if she departs Tokyo in the evening after her concert, she should comfortably arrive in Las Vegas before the Super Bowl begins,” the statement read.
The Chiefs are slight underdogs against the 49ers in the Super Bowl, but fans rooting for Swift’s happiness — and perhaps an on-field proposal during a postgame celebration — shouldn’t be discouraged. As Swift herself says, karma is the guy on the Chiefs.
