CNN
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said Wednesday that pushing head coach Andy Reid during Super Bowl LIII was “absolutely unacceptable.”
Speaking on the New Heights podcast with his brother Jason, Kelce explained the situation, acknowledging that he had gone too far.
“I can’t muster enough energy to bump into the coach and lose my balance. When he stumbled, I thought in my head, ‘Oh shit.’
Kelce, angry at being taken out of the game by Reed during the first half, pushed the 65-year-old so hard to the sideline that the Chiefs head coach momentarily lost his balance, while the tight end I kept screaming in his face.
Kelce was eventually pulled away by teammate Jerick McKinnon.
Reid laughed off what happened after the Chiefs’ win over the San Francisco 49ers, saying: CBS postgame show“He keeps me young. He tested that hip. He caught me off balance. Normally I would have given him a little, but my There were no legs underneath.”
But on Wednesday’s podcast, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason said his brother “crossed the line” and that yelling in Reid’s face “went too far.”
Travis called the incident a “cheap blow,” adding that he wished he could get back for what he did.
The 34-year-old explained that Reed came to him after the incident and didn’t have any harsh words spoken to him, which Kelce had expected.
“I deserve it. If he had given me a cold cock in the face right then and there, I would have just eaten it. I would have been like, ‘Let’s go.’ ”
Instead, Reed said he loves Kelce’s passion and that it motivates him even more to deliver the win.
The incident occurred during the first half of Super Bowl LVIII, during which Kelce was held to just one catch for one yard.
But by the end of regulation and overtime, Kelce had nine catches for 93 yards and was a major factor in the Chiefs defending their Super Bowl crown and winning their third title in five seasons. Ta.
Kelce detailed his relationship with Reid on Wednesday’s podcast, saying he has a “certain relationship” with the Chiefs head coach, having played below him throughout his career.
“He tested me a few times. I just wanted to tell him that I wanted this and that it was okay for him to put it on me, so I gave him a I got it,” Kelce explained. “It happened at a moment when we weren’t playing very well. We weren’t playing very well, so we had to do something.
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“Sometimes those feelings just get away from me. It’s been a battle of my career, but guys, I don’t care what other people say. I talked about that with Coach Reid today. I couldn’t be more proud to be his product on the field, and I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come as a team since I got here in 2013. yeah.
“I just love playing for the players. And unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out in places that look negative, but it’s all because I’m with him more than anything. I’m grateful that he understands that it’s because he wants to win.”
Kelce and the Chiefs will be aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title next season.