Retired NFL quarterback Dan Marino is aware that Taylor Swift has become a constant presence in the league — and he’s all for it.
“I mean, she hasn’t affected any games, but from the media standpoint, she’s there. It’s part of it,” Marino, 62, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 23, while promoting his Super Bowl commercial with M&M’s. “She’s loved and from what I’ve heard, I don’t know her … she’s a terrific person and she cares about people, and she cares about taking care of people, which is an amazing thing, especially if you’re in her position.”
He continued, “I give her a lot of respect for that, first of all. And then, she might as well have fun and enjoy it while she’s dating one of the stars in the NFL. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing.”
Swift, 34, has been dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce since summer 2023. They took their romance public the following September when she stepped out at her first NFL game at Missouri’s Arrowhead Stadium.
Since Swift is well-known in her own right, the NFL frequently showed footage of her via the Jumbotron during games. However, many fans — whom Swift notably coined “dads, Brads and Chads” in her 2023 TIME Person of the Year profile — criticized the constant attention on Swift’s game day attendance and blamed her whenever Kelce and the Chiefs lost a game. (The Chiefs, meanwhile, will face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, January 28, to determine which team will play in the 2024 Super Bowl.)
Swift most recently went to Kelce’s January 21 divisional playoff away game against the Buffalo Bills, where she watched the Chiefs victory alongside his family. The Grammy winner sat in a private suite with Travis’ parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, his brother, Jason Kelce and Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce. Jason, 36, was Travis’ No. 1 cheerleader, even joining a pregame tailgate, taking off his shirt to celebrate his sibling scoring a touchdown and climbing out the window of the private box to meet local fans.
“You know what? He should do it. That’s his brother,” Marino quipped to Us of the Philadelphia Eagles center. “But if you notice how big he is, he had that little beer can in his hand and it was just miniature, right? I mean, it goes to show you how big he is, but that’s fun stuff. It makes the game better. The side stories, all that’s good.”
Marino previously was the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins for 17 seasons until he retired in 2000. He now works as a special advisor for the Dolphins and is bringing his NFL expertise to a Super Bowl LVIII commercial with M&M’s titled “Almost Champions.”
“What I like about it is we have all the almost-champions, Bruce Smith’s in it, [Terrell Owens is] in it, and it really worked out well,” Marino told Us of the advertisement. “And we make fun a little bit … The whole thing is excellent, and everybody’s going to enjoy it.”
He added, “And then T.O. and Bruce Smith are buddies of mine from years and years ago, so, it was a lot of fun [to film].”
M&M’s Super Bowl ad, which will introduce the NFL All-Stars to a first-of-its-kind diamond ring, will debut during the game on Sunday, February 11.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi