Travis Kelce is weighing in on his “heated exchange” with Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid during Super Bowl LVIII.
“It came at a moment where we weren’t playing very well, I wasn’t playing very well. We had to get some s–t going, and sometimes those emotions get away from me, man,” Travis, 34, said during the Wednesday, February 14, episode of his “New Heights” podcast with brother Jason Kelce. “That’s been the battle of my career. Everybody else, I don’t give a s–t what everybody else says. I talked with Coach Reid about it today, and we kind of chuckled about it.”
Later in the conversation, Travis joked that Reid, 65, could have “cold-cocked him” during the game. “I would have just ate it and been like, ‘Yeah, let’s f–king go,’” he added.
Travis said he has “love” for Reid and is “proud” of how far the Chiefs have come since he joined the team in 2013. (Reid has since addressed the situation, revealing that he’s keeping the details of their altercation private.)
“Unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out where it looks like it’s negativity, but I’m grateful that he knows it’s all because I want to win this thing with him more than anything,” Travis explained.
The tight end made headlines on Sunday, February 11, immediately after the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII, where the Chiefs took on the San Francisco 49ers. After teammate Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble in the red zone, Travis grabbed Reid’s arm and appeared to yell in his face. Reid seemed to stumble. (The Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22 in overtime.)
“It looks like you caught Big Red off guard a little bit,” Jason, 36, told his brother during Wednesday’s podcast. “You crossed a line.”
Travis agreed with his brother, noting that it was “a cheap shot.” He later called the exchange “unacceptable.” When Jason told Travis that “yelling” in the coach’s face was “over the top,” Travis didn’t argue.
“I can’t get that fired up to the point where I’m bumping Coach and it’s getting him off balance and stuff. When he stumbled, I was like, ‘Oh, s–t,’ in my head,” Travis added, noting that he and Reid have “a certain relationship” both on and off the field.
“He’s checked me a few times, and I just wanted to let him know I wanted this thing, and he can put it on me,” Travis continued, adding that he was “ready to get a f–king ass-chewing” from Reid — but it never came.
“I’m a passionate guy, I love Coach Reid. Coach Reid knows how much I love to play for him,” Travis said. “How much I love to be a product of his coaching career. I’m not playing for anybody else but Big Red.”
