Reid downplayed the incident
During Super Bowl LVIII, Travis Kelce caused a stir when he yelled in the face of head coach Andy Reid in the first half of Kansas City’s win against the San Francisco 49ers.
Cameras captured Kelce confronting and bumping into Reid, causing the coach to lose his balance, following a fumble by Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.
On Wednesday, Kelce and his brother, Jason, addressed the viral moment on the “New Heights” podcast, with Travis admitting that his emotions got the best of him.
“You crossed the line. I think we can both agree with that,” Jason Kelce said.
“I can’t let myself get that fired up to the point where I’m bumping into the coach and throwing him off balance. When he stumbled, I was just like ‘Oh, s—‘ in my head,” Travis explained.
After the game, Reid and Kelce embraced on the Super Bowl podium, and the three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach played down the incident.
“They’re passionate players,” Reid said, as reported by Pro Football Talk. “I love that, even if they chest bump me to the other side of the 50. I appreciate it. I just love that the guy wants to play and wants to be in there playing.”
Travis Kelce expressed his admiration for Reid, adding that the two had discussed the moment.
“It happened during a tough moment in the game when we weren’t performing well,” Travis Kelce reflected. “I wasn’t at my best either. We needed to get things going, and sometimes my emotions got the best of me. That’s been a challenge throughout my career.
“I don’t care about what anyone else says. I spoke to Coach Reid about it today, and we both laughed it off. I’m incredibly proud to be his player on the field and proud of how far we’ve come as a team since I joined in 2013. I love playing for him. Unfortunately, my passion can sometimes come across as negativity, but he knows it’s all because I want to win with him more than anything.”
On the podcast, Travis Kelce apologized to Reid, saying, “Sorry if I caught you with that cheap shot, baby.”
While the interaction between Kelce and Reid made headlines, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady didn’t seem overly concerned.
“There are always some family issues, and, of course, I don’t mind seeing them because I’ve been a part of many of those situations. Emotions run high. You’re not exactly centered and balanced. You’re not in a meditative state at that point. You’re fully focused on winning,” Brady said on his Sirius XM show “Let’s Go!” with Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray.
“So I think a lot of the things said during games should just be brushed off. And I think Coach Reid handled it amazingly, as he always does, by simply saying, ‘I was a little off balance, and Travis is such a competitor.’ I love that because it speaks volumes about his leadership.”
The Chiefs will celebrate their Super Bowl victory at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday.