Teair Tart's Viral Moment: A Slap and a Swift Reference

In a heated moment on the field in São Paulo, Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart made headlines by slapping Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce across the head. This incident occurred during the Chargers' 27-21 victory on September 5, and it has since sparked a flurry of online commentary.

Tart, 28, took to Instagram the following day to boast about his actions, posting, “I’m too swift with it even in Brazil…,” a nod to Kelce’s fiancée, Taylor Swift. The post included a mix of game highlights and a clip from the 2001 film How High, where a character delivers a slap reminiscent of Tart's actions.

While some fans celebrated Tart's viral moment, others were less impressed. One commenter quipped, “The biggest highlight in your career is name dropping your colleague’s fiancée and slapping him lmao.” Another added, “Love that we swifties are making you and your ego hurt so much. Girl power 💖.”

Kelce’s friend, Taylor Lewan, co-host of the “Bussin With the Boys” podcast, also weighed in, humorously referencing the infamous slap by Will Smith at the Oscars: “Will smith’d the s*** outta Trav 😂.”

During the game, Tart received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness but was not ejected. NFL rules analyst Terry McAulay explained that the slap was deemed an open-hand contact to the head, which did not warrant disqualification according to officiating standards.

Post-game, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh reflected on the significance of their win against the three-time defending AFC champions. “It’s a big, big win,” he stated. “Our guys really prepared for it, they worked extremely hard... Two opposing wills, two opposing forces, and we came out on top.”

The Chargers are set to face the Las Vegas Raiders on September 15. Meanwhile, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed frustration over his team’s slow start, emphasizing the need for improvement. “Sometimes you’ve just got to do something to jump-start the team,” Mahomes remarked. “We’ve got to start faster — and we’ve got to be better on both sides of the ball and special teams.”

The Chiefs will host the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for their home opener on September 14.