As the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce veers from rumored to confirmed, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s ex-girlfriend is speaking out.

Kayla Nicole, an on-air sports journalist, dated Kelce starting in 2017. Kelce revealed news of the couple’s split in a 2023 interview with The Pivot, saying that he’s “in the free market right now.”

“I’m out there just enjoying life, focused on my profession,” he added.

At the time, Kelce put to rest rumors that the two had broken up due to him not spending enough money on her.

“Don’t buy into that s—,” he said. “I would never say that I was supporting her. She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career.”

“But you’ve got to be crazy if you’d think I would never helped or gave her a couple thousand to grab some food or she gave me some money to go get some food,” he added.

“We were in a relationship for five years. A hundred dollars here, a hundred dollars there wasn’t even thought about.”

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole at The 2018 ESPYS on July 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA. Allen Berezovsky / FilmMagic

Since news of Swift and Kelce’s relationship emerged, Nicole has been the target of harassment about her past relationship, with social media users leaving comments on her Instagram profile including derogatory remarks about her race as well as Kelce’s dating pattern.

Nicole had previously spoken about the consequences of dating interracially. On the “Relations— with Kamie Crawford” podcast in Oct. 2022, Nicole said she experienced harassment from Black men “lashing out” after she posted a picture with Kelce.

Now, Nicole is appearing to speak out about this more recent wave of online hate in an “open letter” she shared on Instagram on Oct. 9. Sitting before a microphone, Nicole said that her message was for “Black women, specifically.”

“It’s always been really important for me to use my platform not to create division but to elevate and unite women — Black women, specifically,” she says in the video.

The on-air sports journalist never mentions Kelce or Swift in the video, but addresses topics like “backlash,” “embarrassment” and “falling in love.”

The omission may be deliberate, as Nicole also says silence can be a response: “You do not have to respond, because there is power in your silence.”

The letter begins as follows: “Dear Black girl: They may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you. But you’ll quickly find out that people don’t protect what they don’t value.”

The sports journalist then addressed the challenges of being a Black woman, telling her audience they could be seen as “too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken” and “not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough.”

“They’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment,” she says. “Because of your Blackness, you should have known better. They’ll even try to tie your value to your net worth. But Black girl, please remember your value lies elsewhere.”

Nicole says value can be found, instead, in a person’s “willingness to forgive,” “resilience” and the way they “love” and “give.”

“And the way you stand up for what means most to you, even though they may never do the same,” she says.

It’s at this moment Nicole appeared to remove herself from the “narrative” and “one-sided journey.”

“But Black girl, respectfully, let me stop you there because you don’t have to participate in this tumultuous, often, one-sided journey,” Nicole says. “Preserve your heart, even when they try to quantify your character and test your boundaries, you do not have to engage. You do not have to respond because there is power in your silence. And you can use that same power to silence the noise and self doubt, silence the voices within that want you to give into this demoralizing and antiquated narrative.”

When “the rage of the world is loud,” Nicole advises in her letter that anyone watching the video focus on God and “your tribe.”

Nicole is vague in the video, but hints at turmoil: “Even though sometimes I, too, ask, ‘why me?’ I’m reminded that this isn’t just about me … My truth, trauma, and vulnerability is a relatable part of the human experience. I know I’m not alone, and I want to make sure that you know that you’re not either.”

The through-line of the video for Nicole seems to be about finding your voice and being able to share your own story.

“When you finally find the strength to speak your truth, it is your voice that will help you,” she says at one point.

“Look, we love, we hurt, we heal, but always remember that your story is yours to tell. And you never know who’s life it may touch because there’s so much power in community and connection,” she later says.

Finally, Nicole advises to lean on “therapy, prayer and community” through trying times, and said to always keep the bigger picture in mind.

“Most importantly, I want you to remember that you are loved, you are valued, you are allowed to take up space, you deserve protection and your feelings, they matter too solely because you’re a Black girl,” Nicole concludes.

Maya Benberry, whom Kelce dated prior to Nicole, recently said on Inside Edition that she had received death threats from Swift fans after alleging he had been unfaithful. Benberry and Kelce dated for eight months after meeting on his dating show “Catching Kelce,” she told Inside Edition.