CJ Gardner-Johnson is facing backlash for trolling Travis Kelce after the Super Bowl.
The Philadelphia Eagles safety helped his team secure a 40-22 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday night.
After the game, Gardner-Johnson threw shade on Kelce and his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, sharing a post on his Instagram story.
His message appeared to be a reference to Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole.
Gardner-Johnson posted a photo of him taunting the Chiefs tight end during the Super Bowl, standing in front of his rival with his hands behind his back.
The story was accompanied by the song ‘Murder Business’ by rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and was captioned: ‘Should’ve Stayed with that thick s****.’
Gardner-Johnson’s post, which many believed to be a reference to Nicole, soon went viral.
His on-field, trash-talking attitude has been a big part of the Eagles defense in 2024, and last October, he was voted the NFL‘s ‘most annoying player’ by his colleagues in an anonymous poll.
Many fans suggested his post about Kelce, which came after the biggest win of his career, crossed the line.
“No class what so ever,” one person suggested.
“What a weirdo,” another said.
“Why is he worried about this after winning the Super Bowl?” a third questioned.
The post has since been deleted, but it didn’t take long for Gardner-Johnson to feel the wrath of Swift and Kelce’s fans.
However, instead of going after the Eagles star, they went after his family instead.
On Monday afternoon (February 10), online reports revealed that ‘Chiefs fans and Swifties are leaving fake bad reviews’ to his mother’s restaurant.
He also shared a number of screenshots of the negative reviews, posted about King’s Grill, which is located in Rockledge, Florida.
The one-star ratings, which appeared to be written in the hours after Gardner-Johnson’s Instagram post, have since been deleted from Google.
Many of the negative comments took aim at the restaurant’s alleged ‘terrible customer service’ and ‘below average food’, neither of which are legitimate reviews reflective of the establishment.
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Once news of the ‘review bombing’ spread to Eagles fans, many took to the Facebook page for King’s Grill to share positive comments and ratings instead.
While the drama between Kelce and Gardner-Johnson unfolded on social media in the hours following Super Bowl LIX, both Swift and Nicole were separately spotted at Caesars Superdome on Sunday night.
Swift was seen her Chiefs tight end boyfriend on from the stands, and was also jeered by Philly fans when she was shown on the big screen inside the stadium.
Meanwhile Nicole, who dated Kelce on and off for five years before they called it quits in 2022, joined the Eagles for their celebrations on the field.
She was seen posing with a number of players as they celebrated their second Super Bowl triumph, while even holding up some green and white confetti.
Nicole was sitting amongst Eagles fans at the Superdome, having joked earlier in the evening about jumping on the ‘bandwagon’.
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