NFL
BREAKING: Travis Kelce Turns Down $25 Million Endorsement From Tobacco Giant — “I Won’t Promote What Harms People I Love” Read more:
BREAKING: Travis Kelce Turns Down $25 Million Endorsement From Tobacco Giant — “I Won’t Promote What Harms People I Love” Read more:
BREAKING: Travis Kelce Turns Down $25 Million Endorsement From Tobacco Giant — “I Won’t Promote What Harms People I Love”
In a move that’s rippling through the endorsement empires of the NFL like a missed extra point in overtime, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has reportedly rejected a staggering $25 million, multi-year deal from British American Tobacco (BAT)—the conglomerate behind brands like Lucky Strike and Newport—citing his commitment to health advocacy and family. The decision, confirmed by sources close to Kelce’s camp and first reported by The Athletic just hours ago, underscores the 36-year-old’s evolving brand as a “force for good” amid his skyrocketing off-field empire (now valued at $90 million net worth, per Forbes). “I won’t promote what harms people I love,” Kelce told his inner circle, per insiders, a stance rooted in his vocal anti-addiction efforts and the shadow of loved ones’ struggles. Coming off a three-TD heater in the Chiefs’ 34-27 Thanksgiving rout of the Buffalo Bills (boosting his 2025 line to 65 catches, 750 yards, 7 scores), this pass on payday isn’t just principled—it’s a plot twist in Kelce’s $32 million annual endorsement juggernaut, one that’s already netted him deals with Pfizer ($20 million vax push), State Farm, and Bud Light.
In a league where QBs cash $50 million checks for shoe plugs, Kelce’s “no” is a neon sign: Wealth’s not the win—wisdom is. As he posted cryptically on X (a black-and-white of his grandma’s old photo, captioned “Lessons from the legends”): “Money moves mountains, but love levels ’em right.” At $90 million and climbing—$17M NFL, $32M endorsements, $100M pod empire—Kelce’s proving you can have the haul without hawking the harmful. The tobacco giant’s left holding the ash; Travis? He’s holding the high ground. Chiefs Kingdom, raise a (non-alcoholic) glass—the tight end’s tight on his truth.
