The University of Nebraska thought it was having a bit of fun after edging Cincinnati 20-17 in its season opener, but a social media post tied to the victory ended up overshadowing the game itself.
Hours after the win, the Cornhuskers‘ official athletic account shared an edited image of mascot Herbie Husker embracing Taylor Swift in place of her fiancé, Travis Kelce. The caption read “Change of plans.” Within minutes, it became clear the joke had misfired.
Swift and Kelce, who had just announced their engagement days earlier, were both in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium for the matchup. For Nebraska, swapping Kelce for Herbie was an inside joke meant to play off Kelce’s connection to Cincinnati, his alma mater.
But Swift’s devoted fanbase, and even some Husker supporters, saw it as a tasteless swipe at one of the world’s biggest stars on a night that was supposed to celebrate the team’s victory.
“That is disgusting,” one fan wrote on X, echoing dozens of similar posts. Another added, “Swifties unite. Beware.” Some Nebraska faithful also questioned the school’s decision.
“I am from Nebraska. I have been a Husker fan my entire life and a fan of Taylor Swift since 2006. I don’t care that it’s deleted, I care that y’all thought this was acceptable to post in the first place,” one supporter fumed.
By Friday morning, Nebraska athletics had deleted the image and issued a statement in an attempt to move the conversation back to football.
“The ill-advised post on the @Huskers X account last night resulted in very strong responses and comments that took the attention away from the game and our football team,” a spokesperson told PEOPLE.
“We made the decision to remove the post and focus on our season opening victory in a great environment.”
That explanation did little to calm the storm. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, a vocal Swift fan, declared it “disgusting” and accused Nebraska of embarrassing itself on the national stage.
“Act like you’ve been there before Nebraska,” Portnoy wrote. “I now have no choice but to declare Sept. 20th a ‘Taylor Swift Defend Her Honor’ Game for the Wolverines.”
The incident highlighted the unique dynamic surrounding Swift and Kelce, whose relationship has blended sports and pop culture in a way few celebrity couples have managed.
Their every appearance, whether at Chiefs games or major events, draws widespread media coverage. Adding Swift‘s fan army to the equation means any slight, intentional or otherwise, is magnified instantly across social media.
Spotlight shifts back to Swift and Kelce’s engagement
Even with Nebraska’s deleted post dominating headlines, much of the attention Thursday was still on Swift and Kelce, who made their first public appearance as an engaged couple.
Swift, wearing a white outfit and flashing her antique mine-cut diamond ring, joined Kelce in a private suite alongside Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany. The Chiefs tight end, dressed in a Cincinnati hat and white shirt, shared smiles with his brother Jason Kelce before kickoff.
Kelce’s father, Ed, later shed light on how the proposal unfolded. Speaking to News 5 in Cleveland, he explained that Travis popped the question in the garden at his Lee’s Summit home.
“He got her out there, they were about to go out to dinner, and he said, ‘Let’s go out and have a glass of wine.’ That’s when he asked her, and it was beautiful,” Ed said. He added that both families quickly learned of the engagement over FaceTime calls.
The couple’s announcement, paired with a series of engagement photos captioned “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” marked one of the most talked-about celebrity moments of the year.
Swift and Kelce are now taking their time before moving into wedding planning, preferring to enjoy the engagement before turning to logistics.
A cautionary tale for Nebraska
For Nebraska athletics, the now-deleted tweet underscores the delicate line between humor and controversy in the age of viral fandoms. What might have been intended as a cheeky celebration of a football win instead sparked condemnation and shifted attention away from the team’s hard-fought victory.
It also served as a reminder that few cultural figures carry the kind of influence Swift does. Her presence alone has reshaped NFL broadcasts and boosted viewership figures, while her fans, fiercely loyal and quick to defend her, ensure that any perceived slight can quickly snowball into a public relations headache.
In the end, Nebraska‘s post lasted only a few hours, but its impact lingered well into the weekend. The Cornhuskers may have opened their season with a victory, yet the conversation quickly turned to what happened off the field and how a single misjudged image managed to rile up one of the most powerful fanbases in entertainment.
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