Quick on the defense, NFL legends supported Travis Kelce after he received intense backlash over emotional Andy Reid shove at Super Bowl LVIII.
The incident happened during the second quarter just after Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble. Kelce was seen bumping into Reid and screaming in his face on the sidelines.
Running back Jerick McKinnon ended up having to pull Kelce away from the Chiefs head coach. The spat went viral with critics quickly encouraging the NFL to fine or even kick Kelce out of the league for the outburst.
However, not everyone was ready to attack Kelce for what happened. During the Feb. 13 episode of Inside the NFL, hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, Jay Cutler, Chad Johnson, and Chris Long spoke about the spat and defended Travis Kelce’s actions against Andy Reid.
Crowder, a former linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, explained that football is an emotional sport. “From the outside world, a Hall of Fame tight end bumping a Hall of Fame head coach might look bad,” he said. “But without emotion, these two teams wouldn’t be where they are right now.”
Long, a former New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end, said that while the intense situation was not a “look” that the Chiefs wanted, it could have been worse had they not secured the Super Bowl LVIII win.
“If they were to have lost the game we would be looking back at it,” Long explained. “But I think, not just two Hall of Famers but two guys who are like family to each other. … Conflict is resolved and tension is resolved in different ways than people are used to.”
Clark, a former Pittsburgh Steelers safety, added the key focus should have been on the field, not on Travis Kelce and Andy Reid.
Tom Brady Also Spoke Out About The Travis Kelce and Andy Reid Incident
Meanwhile, during the Feb. 13 episode of his Let’s Go! podcast, Tom Brady shared his thoughts about the Super Bowl LVIII sideline incident between Travis Kelce and Andy Reid. Brady stated that “family issues” within the team are expected.
“I don’t mind seeing it because I was part of a lot of those things,” Brady explained. “Emotions are so high. You are definitely not centered and balanced. You’re not in a meditative state at that point. You are fully determined to go out there and to win.”
Brady then praised Andy Reid for how he handled the incident with Travis Kelce. “Just awesome, like he always does,” Brady continued. “It speaks to the self-confidence that Coach Reid has in himself too. Because he doesn’t take that personally at all. He doesn’t look at that and feel like someone offended him.”
Brady went on to add that Reid takes it for what it is and doesn’t make it more than it is. He also doesn’t see someone trying to belittle his coaching abilities. “Travis is not trying to do any of those things. He’s just trying to be fired up and stay in the moment.”