Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce has finally broken his silence on his viral sideline moment in Kansas City’s euphoric Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers.
Kelce was previously vague (and funny) about the intense bump he gave head coach Andy Reid on the side. To his credit, Reid made light of the moment as well.
Travis Kelce looked less than enthused pic.twitter.com/yncKhjtNl4
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024
On his “New Heights” podcast, Kelce went into further detail about what happened and admitted that he went too far.
“I immediately wish I took it back. Coach Reid actually came right up to me after that and he just let me know, ‘Hey man, I love your passion. I got cameras on me all over the place, man,'” Kelce said.
“(It) just fired me up even more to go out there and get a (expletive) victory for him, man … Big Red, sorry if I caught you with that cheap shot, baby. But damn I love winning with you.”
Jason and Trav shared their real thoughts on the sideline moment with Coach Reid pic.twitter.com/npWn3BWT4l
— New Heights (@newheightshow) February 14, 2024
Brother and co-host Jason Kelce emphasized that Travis crossed the line and yelling in Reid’s face was “over the top.”
However, he provided context, suggesting that the close bond between Kelce and Reid allowed for such interactions.
“This doesn’t happen if you and Andy aren’t as close as you are. That’s what nobody (expletive) 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,” Jason said.
The story behind Andy Reid drafting both Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce:
Travis Kelce was the 63rd overall pick (3rd round) in the 2013 draft.
There were 4 Tight Ends drafted before him:
Tyler Eifert, Zach Ertz, Gavin Escobar, and Vance McDonald.
Andy Reid says Travis Kelce was… pic.twitter.com/sp25UPIc5L
— Cooper McCoy (@CooperMcCoyRE) February 16, 2024
Travis further explained that his outburst stemmed from frustration with the team’s offensive struggles rather than personal animosity towards Reid, stating, “I can’t get that fired up to the point where I’m bumping Coach and it’s getting him off-balance and stuff.”
He added, “Coach Reid knows how much I love to play for him. I’m not playing for anybody else, but Big Red. If he calls it quits this year, I’m out there with him, man.”
Despite the intense moment, both brothers stressed that there’s no lingering animosity, with Travis jokingly admitting that Reid would have been within his right to retaliate, saying, “Oh yeah, I deserve it. If he would’ve cold-cocked me in the face right there, I would’ve just ate it and just been like, ‘Yeah, let’s (expletive) go!'”
Andy Reid and Travis Kelce in the locker room at halftime pic.twitter.com/cQEF79ufuu
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) February 12, 2024
While the moment was certainly interesting and added a major layer of intrigue to the tense game, the fact of the matter is interactions like that happen all the time in football … Maybe not to THAT level, but it’s all a part of competition.
As Kelce said, he and Reid have a special relationship. His bump came from a place of passion and competitiveness, which Reid undoubtedly appreciates.
Long story short, the bump was no big deal at all.
What are your thoughts???