Eagles star CJ Gardner-Johnson told his teammates that all the talking could stop if they won the Super Bowl, only to ignite a feud with Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift within hours of Philadelphia’s stunning victory.
The safety struggled to hold back tears as he delivered a rousing, X-rated speech to his teammates on the eve of their 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans.
Gardner-Johnson has gone viral in the week since the game over his antics targeting rival Kelce and his pop-star girlfriend Swift. ‘This is emotional to be here, talking all this s***,’ he said at the Eagles’ final team meeting last Saturday night.
‘F*** their legacy, bro. It’s simple. Y’all been through a lot of s*** bro, a lot of s***. We ain’t got to say s*** if we win it. Because our story is going to tell itself, bro.’
Following the game, however, the safety shared a picture of him squaring up to Kelce, alongside the caption: ‘Should’ve stayed with that thick s***’
His comment was interpreted as a reference to Kelce’s ex-girlfriend, Kayla Nicole. Then, after a backlash from Swifties – who flooded his mom’s restaurant with bad reviews – the Eagles star wore a crude sweater at the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade.
‘Swifties can LIX my balls,’ it read. LIX means 59 in roman numerals. The Eagles triumphed at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Gardner-Johnson was one of several Eagles stars to speak at the meeting in New Orleans.
‘I get emotional because I know we are all winners. Why not have a chance to express that, on the biggest stage of them all,’ he continued.
On Sunday – a week on from the game – Philadelphia released behind-the-scenes footage from the Eagles camp. Within hours, Saquon Barkley’s speech had flooded social media. ‘As I watch film throughout the whole week, my confidence has been growing even more and I hope you guys are feeling the same thing,’ he told his teammates.
‘These guys can’t f*** with us – they really can’t. I don’t care how many times they’ve been here, I don’t care how many times they’ve won it. They haven’t seen a team like us.’
