TEMPE, Ariz. — Laila Edwards asked to step away from the interview.
She’d just received a direct message on X (formerly known as Twitter) from Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end, Taylor Swift’s (possible) boyfriend and Cleveland Heights, Ohio’s most famous export.
So, understandably, she needed a minute.
“Travis is one of the most popular guys in the world right now, but I’ve always been a big fan of his,” Edwards, a Cleveland Heights native herself, said in an interview with The Athletic. “It’s another thing that honestly doesn’t feel real.”
Kelce, she said, was supportive of her budding hockey career and called Edwards a trailblazer. It’s all part of a whirlwind few months for the 19-year-old, from cracking Team USA’s roster for the November Rivalry Series against Canada, to preparing for her senior team debut. Along the way, she got a shoutout from Travis and his brother Jason on their wildly popular “New Heights” podcast.
Edwards has the potential to be a star — and perhaps someday the first Black woman to represent the U.S. women’s national team at a world championship or Olympics. Her debut on Saturday is the logical next step in a career that has her looking like a building block for Team USA’s long-term plans.
As…
