Screenshot via CBS.
The Kansas City Chiefs had a lot to celebrate Sunday night, winning a back-to-back Super Bowl with a thrilling touchdown in overtime, but there was a shocking blemish on the good vibes: a moment right after a Chiefs turnover when star tight end Travis Kelce bumped his coach Andy Reid, catching him off balance, and yelled at him.
In the aftermath of the incident, Reid laughed as he told the CBS postgame show, “He keeps me young. He tested that hip out. He caught me off balance – normally, I’d give him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.”
Still, Kelce was heavily criticized for his actions, and he and his brother Jason Kelce addressed the issue head on in the latest episode of their podcast, New Heights.
Jason, a center with the Philadelphia Eagles who was at Sunday’s game in Las Vegas to cheer on Travis, scolded his little brother about the “heated exchange” with Reid.
“You crossed a line, I think we can both agree on that,” said Jason.
“I can’t get that fired up to the point where I’m bumping Coach and it’s getting him off balance and stuff,” Travis agreed.
“I mean, let’s be honest, the yelling in his face, too, is over the top,” said Jason. “I think there’s better ways to handle this.”
“I love Coach Reid, Coach Reid knows how much I love to play for him, ” said Travis, who has played his entire pro career with Reid since they both joined the Chiefs in 2013.
“I’m not playing for anybody else but Big Red,” he continued. “If he calls it quits this year, I’m out there with him, man.”
“He ain’t calling it quits, come on now,” Jason scoffed.
“He’s not,” replied Travis. Both brothers have been the subject of speculation about if they plan to retire soon.
Travis continued, calling his actions “definitely unacceptable” and saying “I immediately wish I would have took it back.” He described the conversation he had with Reid on the sidelines right afterwards, saying his coach didn’t scold him even though “I deserve it,” but instead told his star player, “hey man, I love your passion,” and the talk with Reid got him “fired up even more to go out there and get a f*cking victory for him.”
“Big Red, sorry if I caught you with that cheap shot, baby,” Travis apologized as he looked into the camera, “but damn, I love winning with you.”
Jason added that he wasn’t trying to make light of the “unacceptable” situation but that he believed it wouldn’t have happened if his brother and the coach weren’t so passionate about the game and so close with each other. “This doesn’t happen if you and Andy aren’t as close as you are. That’s what nobody f*cking knows. The reason this happens is because you two love each other so much and respect each other so much, that you feel open enough to have an interaction like this.”
Travis agreed and said “it wasn’t me mad at Coach Reid as it looks, it was the frustration of our team not having success, turning the ball over, and me being on the sideline, not able to go out, f*ck! Damn it!”
“It was pleading with your head coach to let you go out there and win this motherf*cker, that’s what it was,” said Jason. “Me and you both know what it was, Andy knows what you mean to him, and what he means to you.”
Watch the video above, via New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce on Instagram.
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