KC Chiefs’ Travis Kelce Explains Sideline Blowup at Andy Reid in Super Bowl LVIII
The Kansas City Chiefs showed off their championship experience against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, winning Super Bowl LVIII in the process. Having been in big moments and triumphed before, Andy Reid's team once again managed to pull off a double-digit-point comeback on the biggest stage. Early on, though, things weren't looking great.
Kansas City dug itself into a 10-0 hole in the first half, bringing some tough moments along with it. One, in particular, stood out: tight end Travis Kelce's outburst at Reid on the sideline.
The All-Pro tight end was visibly emotional when approaching his head coach, bumping into him and making Reid stumble a bit. Things were immediately de-escalated from there, with Reid even poking fun at the incident in the aftermath of the game.
On this week's episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce expressed his remorse for getting too amped up.
"As he said, I got him with a cheap shot," Kelce said. "People are all over this, and I get it. 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 just like, 'Oh, s—' in my head."
After his brother Jason told him there are better ways to handle those in-game emotions, Kelce agreed and doubled down on his love and respect for Reid.
"Yeah, I know," Kelce said. "I'm a passionate guy. I love Coach Reid. Coach Reid knows how much I love to play for him [and] how much I love to be a product of his coaching career. I'm not playing for anybody else but 'Big Red.' If he calls it quits this year, I'm out there with him, man. I've got a certain relationship with him. He's checked me a few times, and I just wanted to let him know that I wanted this thing and he could put it on me and I got him. It just came at a moment where we weren't playing very well, I wasn't playing very well and we had to get some s— going. Sometimes, those emotions get away from me, and that's been the battle of my career."
Kelce and Reid have one of the best working relationships in the NFL, and there was obviously no ill intent on Kelce's behalf here. Both coach and player have been with the Chiefs organization for over a decade now and have played critical roles in the franchise's success. The championship pedigree comes from people like them, both on and off the field. Oftentimes, as he did on the podcast, Kelce credits Reid for his success and continued excellence in the NFL.
Despite outside criticism running rampant in the hours and days following the Super Bowl, it's this writer's opinion that Kelce shouldn't really be questioned. Sure, he's let his passion get the best of him on multiple occasions during his career, but his leadership is some of the best on the team and in the league. That part of his football character has evolved over the years, and for the better. The Chiefs look to him to bring the proverbial spark on offense, even if it comes with a tipping point every once in a while.
If Reid himself says it's water under the bridge, Kelce has a right to echo a similar sentiment. That's exactly what he did on New Heights.
"Everybody else, I don't give a s— what anybody else says," Kelce said. "I talked to Coach Reid about it today and we kind of chuckled about it. I couldn't be more proud of being his product on the field and I couldn't be more proud of where we've come as a team since I got here in 2013. I just love playing for the guy, man. Unfortunately, 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."
