After the Kansas City Chiefs got crushed by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Erin Andrews, who reported from the sidelines for Fox, recalled her emotional postgame moment with tight end Travis Kelce.
“I was just getting off the field and he was just walking out,'” she said on “Calm Down,” a podcast she cohosts Charissa Thompson. “I just turned around and I walked up to him because I don’t want to bug him, but like no. That’s our friend and this really sucks.
“I gave him a hug and said, ‘I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m so sorry.” While the Chiefs star briefly contemplated retirement after the brutal defeat, Kelce announced his plan to return and play for the 2025 NFL season.
Speaking with Andrews, I asked the sportscaster if she knew about the 35-year-old’s decision before he announced it.
“I found out with the rest of the world,” she said. “I forgot where I was but I was like, ‘All right! Let’s go.’ He’s super fun.”
However, the 46-year-old analyst also has a clear plan for the future Hall of Famer for when he does decide to hang up his cleats for good. “So, if he does retire,” she added, “I want him to come to Fox. So, there’s that.”
Andrews’ contract with Fox expired at the end of the NFL season, however, she appeared to drop a hint about her future with the network last week.
“He’s such a great guy to cover,” she added of Kelce. “He’s always been super wonderful to me and anybody really in sports broadcasting. He’s one of our guys in the league. He makes it so much fun.”
While there will likely be bidding war should Kelce head toward a career broadcasting, Andrews wasn’t surprised he decided to play another season after whiffing on the Super Bowl three-peat.
“What athlete wants to leave like that? It doesn’t take a scientist or super smart person to figure out that that’s not how they wanted to play, that’s not the way they wanted go out,” she said. “But I don’t think I would’ve been surprised regardless. I can see it from both sides.”