Travis Kelce responded to the Dallas Cowboys‘ Jerry Jones after the 82-year-old revealed a strange dietary choice by admitting he eats squirrel meat, something the Kansas City Chiefs start felt wasn’t for him.
Jones went as far as to describe the rodent as his favorite kind to dine on when the billionaire heads out for dinner with family and friends, even choosing to channel his inner zombie by going for the brains.
“One of my favorites is squirrel,” Jones told 105.3: The Fan. “It’s wonderful.
“We all had our favorite pieces. My mom and I would even ask for the brain of the squirrel. Delicious. Seriously.”
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But the tight end is simply not on board and even theorized it could have health risks as he chatted with his brother on their shared show, which they started after they both made the Super Bowl in 2023.
“I’m not eating rabies dude, I’m just not doing it,” Kelce told Jason, on their New Heights podcast as they discussed what assortments of meat they like to get their daily protein from and reflected on Jones’ opinion.
Is squirrel meat safe?
And it seems as though Travis could be right about this one considering the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institute of Health do not recommend eating squirrel.
Squirrel meat can carry a series of parasites that can infect human hosts and can also transfer the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which causes death as well as various symptoms such as depression, memory loss, loss of motor control and personality changes.
The most popular meats in the United States are the tried-and-tested trio of chicken, beef and pork whilst other preferred options are fish and turkey, especially the latter around the time of Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Always ensure you cook meat thoroughly to kill any pathogens and to prevent sickness. Details on how to cook at the right temperature and the right time, and how to spot contaminated or unsafe meat can be found online.
