Travis Kelce found himself in the crosshairs of public criticism for something football fans would never think of. His crime? He was one among the Kansas City Chiefs players who recently wore a “Free 4” shirt supporting suspended teammate Rashee Rice before the Chiefs’ home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce (Image source: X/@NFL_DovKleiman)
Despite being a member of the Chiefs, many fans view Rice more as a criminal than a football player following his 2024 car crash that injured several others. So, when the TE showed support toward Rice, it generated immediate controversy, with fans questioning whether Kelce thought Rice was a victim.
NFL Fans Didn’t Expect Travis Kelce to Support Rashee Rice
Travis Kelce, Tyquan Thornton, and Hollywood Brown all wore the same shirt with Rashee Rice’s photo and jersey number during warmups on September 14. The real issue? Despite his role on the field, many fans can’t look past his actions off it.
For the unversed, he pleaded guilty to two felony charges stemming from a high-speed crash in Dallas that injured multiple people. That time, his Lambo’s speed was around 120 mph.
During the crash, he hit a total of six vehicles and injured four people. Most surprisingly, despite being in good condition, he fled the spot on foot, leaving behind injured victims and damaged vehicles.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce is under heavy criticism online for wearing a Rashee Rice ‘Free 4’ shirt before Sunday’s game.
Rice is currently suspended for going 119mph before crashing his Lamborghini, hitting six vehicles, injuring four people, and then fleeing… pic.twitter.com/XViD5uya3u
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 16, 2025
Critics are arguing that Kelce’s support minimized the harm done to innocent victims. An attorney representing one of the crash victims slammed the gesture, telling TMZ, “Free Rashee? He already thinks he’s getting away scot-free… Talk and T-shirts are cheap.”
And now fans join the chorus of critics to tear down Taylor Swift’s fiancé.
“Supporting a criminal?”askedone curious fan.
Others took a more personal approach to their criticism. “No surprise, he’s a moron,”wroteanother fan, targeting his character.
“Nah, he’s under heavy criticism for dropping shit in the red zone in crunch time. Idgaf about a t-shirt,” a third usernoted, indicating thatperformance issues were more concerning than his pregame bold fashion choices.
Some believed that Kelce’s message was completely misguided because Rice had already accepted responsibility through his guilty plea. A random X userclaimed, “It’s a dumb move. Especially since Rice agreed to the suspension. He’s not a victim here.”
A critical Rice haterexplained, “Not only did he flee the scene. He and his cohorts removed items and bags from the car before fleeing. Never bothered to see the condition of those in the other cars. Consciousness of guilt to the utmost. Callousness at its worst.”
Rice was sentenced to five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail while also being ordered to pay $115,481.91 in restitution to victims for medical expenses. Plus, the NFLhanded down a six-game suspension, meaning he would return in Week 7 of the 2025 season.
But seeing this level of social media outrage against the support from Chiefs’ locker room, it feels like fans are not pleased with the penalty the receiver got.