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Jason Kelce Called Out for Cheating in Arm-Wrestling Match With Team USA Rugby Star
Jason Kelce has long been known as a man of the people. That may have changed on Sunday when the former Philadelphia Eagles center showed some questionable sportsmanlike conduct in a thrilling arm wrestling contest against Team USA women’s rugby star Nicole Heavirland during the Paris Olympics.
Decked out in his chic Parisian outfit, Kelce dropped by Team USA’s women’s rugby locker room after their win over Brazil and was challenged to an arm wrestling match for the ages by Heavirland. He couldn’t say no.
In a video posted to Heavirland’s Instagram, Kelce and the rugby star are seen fiercely battling it out for 10 or so seconds. Kylie, Jason’s wife, could be heard yelling, “He’s gonna cheat!” in the background.
Kelce ultimately prevailed against the Olympian and gave Heavirland a sweet hug afterward. Fans, however, thought his unofficial win against Heavirland should be denoted with an asterisk, as Kelce was caught holding onto the table with his free hand.
We all see that left hand @JasonKelce 😂👀 pic.twitter.com/2BEeU9gF21
— New Heights (@newheightshow) July 28, 2024
Kelce later took to social media to defend himself.
“Grabbing something with your off hand is not against any rules according to the guidelines set forth by the IFAW (International Federation of Arm Wrestling),” Kelce wrote.
Grabbing something with your off hand is not against any rules according to the guidelines set forth by the IFAW (International Federation of Arm Wrestling). https://t.co/Mg9225R94y
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) July 28, 2024
The people would disagree.
If you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying
— New Heights (@newheightshow) July 28, 2024
Might not be illegal @JasonKelce but it is frowned upon.
— Jaime (@thejaimster) July 28, 2024
Clearly you’re in cahoots with Big Arm Wrestling.
— Sela Blanton (@SelaB1103) July 29, 2024
Pure leverage use with the edge of that table, while her hand was flat on the surface of the table.....lol. She got you beat in reality, buddy!
— Michael (@michaelbarbee67) July 29, 2024
That man has made it abundantly clear that he's gonna cheat if you don't call him on it 😂😂😂
— Sarah 💚 (@HomemadePoptart) July 28, 2024
Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.