{"id":277285,"date":"2025-10-04T13:59:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T13:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/277285\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T13:59:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T13:59:13","slug":"12-years-ago-she-met-the-chiefs-new-tight-end-now-ahead-of-his-wedding-she-wishes-theyd-kept-in-touch-better-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/277285\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Years Ago, She Met the Chiefs&#8217; New Tight End. Now, Ahead of His Wedding, She Wishes They&#8217;d &#8216;Kept in Touch Better&#8217; (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Aaron Fulk met Travis Kelce through a local Kansas City, Mo. charity over a decade ago<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While the two fell out of touch, Fulk recently posted a TikTok joking about how she wishes she had kept that connection due to his relationship with Taylor Swift<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Fulk tells PEOPLE that Kelce is &#8220;so nice and kind&#8221; and she thinks he and Swift make an &#8220;adorable&#8221; couple<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When Aaron Fulk heard the Kansas City Chiefs&#8217; newest tight end was going to be at her charity&#8217;s event over a decade ago, she didn\u2019t think anything of it. Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs&#8217; tight end at the time, was passing the torch off to the fresh-faced Travis Kelce, who was drafted to the organization in 2013.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For years, Gonzalez had been involved in the local charity called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shadowbuddies.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Shadow Buddies;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Shadow Buddies<\/a>, where Fulk had a spot on the board. The organization pairs &#8220;medically challenged children across the country and around the world&#8221; with plush dolls with similar health conditions.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Aaron Fulk Travis Kelce and Aaron Fulk\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"368\" height=\"480\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/c8cfb7dd803f186ef82b575df1af4cc3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Aaron Fulk<\/p>\n<p> Travis Kelce and Aaron Fulk<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhen he was leaving and Travis Kelce was coming, Kelce said, \u2018I wanna give back,'&#8221; Fulk, 45, tells PEOPLE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to Fulk, Gonzalez told Kelce that having a Chiefs player at the annual gala was &#8220;a big pull for people&#8221; to attend, so &#8220;Travis said he would do it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I sat on the board with him, and he came to the events,&#8221; Fulk explains of the natural progression of their friendship, noting that the NFL star, 35, was always \u201cso nice and kind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Working in social media and marketing, Fulk often took photos and videos of Kelce at the events. Then, in 2016, E! News announced they were going to create a reality dating show centered on the then-single athlete, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/travis-kelce-says-catching-kelce-reality-show-worst-thing-i-ever-did-11765374\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:called Catching Kelce.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">called Catching Kelce.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Since Kelce \u201cdidn\u2019t know a ton of people&#8221; in Kansas City, Mo., aside from his teammates at the time, people from the Shadow Buddies organization stepped in to help for one of the episodes.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Aaron Fulk The set of Catching Kelce\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/e4b66ab1fc6fcbef190615fd3dd85af3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Aaron Fulk<\/p>\n<p> The set of Catching Kelce<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe board all went and were extras on the date. It felt very real,\u201d Fulk shares. \u201cThey told you where to sit, and it really was fun. I didn&#8217;t notice the cameras as much, and Kelce felt very authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The episode and accompanying fashion show were in support of Kelce\u2019s charity, <a href=\"https:\/\/87running.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:87 and Running;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">87 and Running<\/a>, which empowers disadvantaged youth by providing resources and support to their communities in the areas of education, business, athletics, STEM, and the arts.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When Fulk and Kelce crossed paths again years later, she says the athlete was just as kind, asking about her kids and checking in on her family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It turns out, it&#8217;s not just Kelce that Fulk has a connection to. Years ago, around 2010, her friend from the University of Kansas, Abigail (<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/who-is-abigail-anderson-taylor-swift-best-friend-7509500\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:yes, that Abigail;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">yes, that Abigail<\/a>), and her boyfriend at the time invited Fulk to see Abigail\u2019s friend perform at a nearby concert.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Of course, that singer turned out to be Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Fast forward to July 2023, and Fulk took her daughter to see <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/inside-taylor-swift-unstoppable-era-as-she-wraps-eras-tour-exclusive-8754241\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Swift&#039;s Eras Tour;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Swift&#8217;s Eras Tour <\/a>in Kansas City \u2014\u00a0and Kelce was there too. It was the same concert that the NFL player<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/travis-kelce-tried-give-taylor-swift-his-phone-number-eras-tour-7566017\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:famously tried to shoot his shot;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> famously tried to shoot his shot <\/a>with the Grammy winner \u2014 and <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-relationship-timeline-11797905\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the rest is history.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">the rest is history.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I think they&#8217;re adorable,&#8221; Fulk says, noting that she is a big fan of <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl-album-11822921\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Swift&#039;s discography.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Swift&#8217;s discography.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In light of the <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/taylor-swift-engaged-travis-kelce-8416978\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:couple&#039;s engagement news;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">couple&#8217;s engagement news<\/a>, Fulk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@aaronhaden\/video\/7546318631504858399\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:posted a TikTok video;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">posted a TikTok video<\/a> featuring old photos of her and Kelce, captioned, \u201cWhat\u2019s one friendship you wish you would have kept in touch better with over the years so you could be invited to their wedding?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"David Eulitt\/Getty\u00a0 Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Buffalo Bills AFC Championship Game.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/b033ed0ba0207ecbd85fb28239411c29.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>David Eulitt\/Getty <\/p>\n<p> Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Buffalo Bills AFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While Fulk admittedly wouldn&#8217;t consider Kelce to be a friend, she emphasizes that \u201che&#8217;s just a really great guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe city is so small that you always hear things. I know he is always going to bat for anything nonprofit&#8230; like <a href=\"https:\/\/operationbreakthrough.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Operation Breakthrough;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Operation Breakthrough<\/a>, he is involved with now,&#8221; she says. &#8220;It&#8217;s an incredible organization that&#8217;s grown so much. He worked with Shadow Buddies for years. I think he&#8217;s a great guy. He gives back a lot to Kansas City.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While Kelce has embraced Kansas City with open arms, the city has done the same for his bride-to-be, with local businesses even flying flags with Swift&#8217;s face on them, Fulk says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It&#8217;s just incredible,&#8221; she adds, wishing the happy couple nothing but the best \u2014 with or without an invite to their big day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/woman-shares-invisible-string-with-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-exclusive-11813793\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEED TO KNOW Aaron Fulk met Travis Kelce through a local Kansas City, Mo. charity over a decade&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":277286,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[143383,143382,8995,143385,18818,3570,1232,143386,62,3571,143384,3572,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-277285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-aaron-fulk","9":"tag-aaron-fulk-aaron-fulk","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-catching-kelce","12":"tag-kansas-city","13":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-shadow-buddies","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-taylor-swift","18":"tag-tony-gonzalez","19":"tag-travis-kelce","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115316259004412788","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}