Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, called out by his brother, Jason Kelce, on their “New Heights” podcast for bumping coach Andy Reid and screaming in his face during Super Bowl LVIII, said his actions were “unacceptable.”
Travis Kelce had said after the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers that his emotions got the best of him, but pushed by his brother, he expounded on the situation and discussed his admiration for Reid.
Jason Kelce said to his brother, “You crossed the line; I think we can both agree on it.”
“I did,” Travis Kelce agreed. “I can’t get that fired up to that point where I’m bumping Coach and it’s getting him off balance and stuff.”
Explaining why he was so fiery in that interaction with Reid, Kelce said, “I got a certain relationship with him. He’s checked me a few times and I just wanted to let him know that I wanted this thing, and he can put it on me, and I got him. You know, it just came in a moment where we weren’t playing very well, I wasn’t playing well, and we had to get some s— going and sometimes … emotions get away from me and that’s been the battle of my career.”
Kelce said he talked to Reid about the interaction and the two “chuckled about it.”
“I couldn’t be, you know, more proud of being his product on the field, and I couldn’t be more proud of, you know, where we’ve come as a team since I got here in 2013, and I just love playing for the guy, man. Unfortunately, my passion comes out where it looks like it’s negativity, but I’m grateful he knows I want to win this thing with him more than anything,” Kelce said.
Kelce said, “I immediately wished I could take it back,” but that Reid’s reaction afterward surprised him.
“Coach Reid actually came right up to me after that and didn’t even have harsh words for me. I was ready to get a f—ing ass-chewing and for him to just tell me to ‘f—ing be better,’ and he just let [me] know, ‘Hey man, I love your passion. I got cameras on me all over the place man, you don’t want things to come off’ … and it just made me … fired up to get a f—ing victory for him, man. Cause that’s how much I love that dude, man. So Big Red, sorry if I caught you with that cheap shot, baby,” he said.
After Super Bowl LVIII, Reid said he appreciated Kelce’s passion and indicated the contact wasn’t as bad as it looked.
Jason Kelce told his brother that he needs to have his “head on a swivel” because Reid will be “coming hot” after him next time.
“I know it. If he would have cold-cocked me in the face, I would have just ate it and said, yeah, let’s f—ing go,” Travis Kelce said.
