From the immense wealth to the global fame, dating Kim Kardashian certainly comes with a blinding media spotlight (ask Lewis Hamilton). While some enjoy the exposure and pop-culture clout that come with entering her orbit, the attention isn’t for everyone. In fact, one of Reggie Bush’s former teammates wants absolutely no part of it. 

During his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, former New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey confirmed that he’d never date a Kardashian. The reason behind this fear is Kim’s high-profile relationship with Reggie Bush during the late 2000s.

“She has a Kim Kardashian curse,” Shockey told Sharpe. “Right when that happened, Reggie got hurt, and she kept going. It just kept going bad. Everyone dates her, it’s like a curse. I had to look down when I walk downstairs. Every sign I go think I’m going to trip down because she is like a curse.” 

Sharpe jumped in to defend Kardashian and dismiss the superstition. But Shockey seemed adamant.

Bush was down with multiple injuries during the time he dated Kim Kardashian. He was out for four games in 2007, and missed time in the next season. In 2009, when the Saints won the Super Bowl, Bush recorded some of the worst stats in his career.

Bush said in 2010 that Kim’s very public life had become a problem for him. On the Rachel Ray show, the former running back said that football players are “camera shy,” and mostly want to be “left alone.” But he still braved the ever-present cameras during their relationship, because it was “important to [Kim].”

The two have since moved on with their separate lives. Kim went on to have a long relationship with rapper Kanye West, which became a little turbulent towards the end. She is now a mother to four children.

Reggie Bush went on to play for the Miami Dolphins in 2011. He is now married to Lilit Avagyan, a choreographer. They share three children, and have been married since 2014.

But the Kardashian curse has weirdly become a popular lore. Kim Kardashian attended an Arsenal match in London, which the team lost. She attended a Paris Saint-Germain clash soon after, which the team also lost. And now that Kim will become a common appearance in the Formula 1 paddock, the curse could transition trackside too.

Mercedes Petronas AMG driver Kimi Antonelli, who is also the current championship leader, saw his hot winning streak broken after Kim mistakenly used his towel after the Monaco Grand Prix this year.

The curse also isn’t limited to Kim Kardashian. Kendall Jenner, who has also dated athletes in the past, joked about how she is held responsible for the rough patches in their careers.