Travis Kelce at the 2018 ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theatre LA Live, Los Angeles, USA 18 July 2018 – Credit: Depositphotos
*NFL star Travis Kelce has addressed the backlash to a New York Times article that credits him for popularizing the “fade” haircut that Black males have been rocking since before the athlete was born.
Jemele Hill was the first to slam the article for suggesting the Kansas City Chiefs tight end invented the “fade.”
“The NYT thinks that Travis Kelce invented the fade,” Hill stated on social media. “When you have zero cultural competency on your staff, this is how you end up with stories like this.”
Several Black media commentators, including retired football legend Shannon Sharpe, reacted to The Times report, People reports.
“The New York Times began Black History Month by referring to the fade as the Travis Kelce,” Sharpe said on his “Nightcap” podcast. The segment was titled: “Did the fade just get gentrified?”
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“New York Times, so that’s how you start Black History Month,” Sharpe added, noting that he has been getting the fade haircut since 1986.
“I’m trying to figure out what black barbershop you go in and say let me get the Travis Kelce,” Sharpe said.
In the article titled “They’ll Take the Travis Kelce — Hairdo, That Is,” reporter Alyson Krueger claims barbers in Canada and the United States “told her that dozens of patrons have come in requesting the same hairstyle as the NFL star,” the New York Post writes.
“Mr. Kelce’s hairstyle, a buzz cut fade, is easy to replicate,” Krueger wrote.
Kelce, who is dating pop star Taylor Swift, responded to the controversial report during a pre-Super Bowl interview with ESPN on Tuesday.
“Man, I got a good fade, if you need it,” he said in the clip shared on TikTok. “It’s a two on top, a nice high to mid fade with a taper on the back.”
“But I didn’t invent that — I just asked for it,” Kelce added.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said of The New York Times article. “And to do it on Feb. 1 and throw me to the wolves like that,” Kelce contained, referring to Black History Month. “That was just messed up, man. I don’t want anything to do with that one.”
READ MORE: Here’s the Real Reason Why Right-wing Media Figures Are Targeting Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce | VIDEO
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