Travis Kelce has broken his silence following the deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade that left one person dead and nearly two dozen injured.
The Chiefs tight end posted a message alongside his brother Jason, which appeared on social media Monday afternoon ahead of the new episode of their New Heights podcast.
“We have a pre-recorded episode for you on Wednesday, but after the tragic events of the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, it didn’t feel right without you hearing from us first,” Travis said.
‘Kansas City and Chiefs Kingdom we love you guys. We are with you and we will see you soon.’
The brothers encouraged fans to donate to an emergency fund that will provide support to victims, their families, first responders, as well as mental health and violence prevention services.
Travis Kelce has broken his silence after the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs parade
“We also want to thank the local authorities who jumped into action,” Jason Kelce said.
Terrified parade-goers flee for their lives after gunmen opened fire shortly after the demonstration.
Kelce matched his girlfriend Taylor Swift’s $100,000 donation to the victims of last week’s mass shooting following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally.
A GoFundMe page shows a pair of $50,000 donations from his charity, Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation, an organization that aims to help “underserved youth strive to become productive citizens.”
The GoFundMe page was started by friends of the Reyes family, who had two young daughters injured in the shooting. Meanwhile, Swift made a donation to the family of Elizabeth López-Galván, who died in the shooting.
The donation came after Kelce received waves of criticism for partying after the shooting.
Kelce was among the Chiefs stars who went ahead with a “scaled-down” celebration just hours after the tragedy occurred.
‘We just wanted to say our hearts go out to all the victims, their families, Chiefs Kingdom and all of Kansas City who were really there on a day to try to celebrate the community. “It’s unfortunate and deeply tragic what happened,” Jason said.
Kelce came under fire after attending a “scaled-down” celebration hours after the tragedy.
“We also want to thank the local authorities who jumped into action, the first responders on the scene and anyone who was willing to help those affected by this tragedy.”
Added Eagles center Jason: “One of the things that’s evident is how much Kansas City is coming together, rallying around the people affected by this.”
“And one of the beautiful things we have doing this podcast is the wonderful community that exists: the ’92 per center’, everyone who watches this show…”
Travis and Jason Kelce also revealed that they are “discovering” a way to get involved in fundraising and support efforts.
“We plan to do something in the future; we’re trying to get it located right now,” Jason said.
“We have some ideas, but be sure to follow us and we’ll tell you how we’re going to try to get involved.”