Andy Reid made it clear there’s no bad blood between him and Travis Kelce for the sideline incident that went viral during the 2024 Super Bowl. The veteran tight end was seen yelling and bumping into the Kansas City Chiefs head coach during the second quarter as Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball after Kelce was pulled out.
“He caught me off balance,” Reid said, via ESPN. “I wasn’t watching. He was really coming over [and saying], ‘Just put me in, I’ll score. I’ll score.’ So, that’s really what it was. I love that. It’s not the first time. I appreciate him.“
Kelce, 34, was not having a great night until then. While his team was trailing 3-10 to the San Francisco 49ers, he had recorded just one catch on one target for a gain of only one yard.
His reaction to Pacheco’s fumble took many by surprise, as it appeared that he pushed the Chiefs coach. However, Reid suggested the image is confusing, as the contact wasn’t that terrible. Besides, he had nothing but praise for Kelce’s approach and passion for the game.
“The part I love is he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win,” Reid added. “It’s not a selfish thing. That’s not what it is. I understand that. As much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off balance.”
Travis Kelce explains what happened
After Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to yet another Super Bowl victory, this time a dramatic win in overtime, Kelce also took time to reflect on his outburst. Not only did he deny it had anything to do with his stats, but the tight end also clarified that he was just upset with the result.
“I didn’t care about my catches,” he said. “I just wanted to … I wanted the score to be different. Coach has asked us to speak our minds and I just wanted to let him know how much passion I had for this team.”
Kelce had every right to be frustrated by then, as Kansas City was struggling to produce any danger when having possession of the football. But eventually, the Chiefs found the way to victory and ended up lifting another Vince Lombardi trophy with Reid at the helm.
“He’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life. And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get and just love him,” Kelce said about the Chiefs head coach.
