ESPN Host Predicts NFL Will Prevent Chiefs From Starting 0-3, Cites Kelce–Swift Fandom
Don La Greca told co-hosts he expects league intervention ahead of Kansas City’s Sunday Night game at the New York Giants
An ESPN New York radio host on Tuesday said he expects the NFL will take steps to prevent the Kansas City Chiefs from beginning the season 0-3, citing the public profile of tight end Travis Kelce and his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.
Don La Greca, co-host of an ESPN New York morning show, told colleagues Peter Rosenberg and Alan Hahn he believed the league would avoid having the Chiefs lose on national television and fall to an 0-3 start. The comment came ahead of Kansas City’s Sunday Night Football trip to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants.
"Call me a conspiracy theorist. ESPN can fire me. The NFL is not going to allow the Kansas City Chiefs to lose that game on national television and be 0-3," La Greca said on the show. He added that the league would be reluctant to upset the Kelce–Swift fanbase and predicted multiple calls during the game that would prompt commentators to question how certain plays were ruled.
The remarks follow a 1–0 start for the NFL season that has already included a loss by the Chiefs in Brazil to the Los Angeles Chargers and a home defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. Kansas City is 0–2 for the first time since 2014. The Giants are also 0–2, and the matchup will be broadcast nationally on Sunday Night Football.
La Greca referenced the Chiefs’ recent history when predicting league reluctance to allow an 0–3 start; Kansas City has not begun a season 0–3 since 2011. The 2011 Chiefs fired head coach Todd Haley during that campaign. La Greca also said the club’s high profile and the national audience made an 0–3 scenario unlikely.
The Chiefs are scheduled for a string of nationally televised games following the trip to the Meadowlands. Week 4 brings a matchup at Baltimore on CBS, followed by Monday Night Football in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and a Week 6 return to Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions.
La Greca’s comments drew attention because they attributed potential on-field outcomes to off-field considerations. He framed his prediction as a conspiracy theory and said he was willing to be criticized for the view. The host’s remarks were made on air and have not been repudiated by ESPN or the NFL.
Coaches, league officials and the teams involved did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Chiefs will seek their first victory of the season on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium against a Giants team also trying to avoid an 0–3 start.