Travis Kelce says there’s one thing that could make him retire from football after he helped bring his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, to a Super Bowl victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, this past weekend.
The 34-year-old tight end released a new episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother, fellow NFL star Jason Kelce, where the siblings discussed Travis’ banner weekend with his team’s win, celebrating with Travis’ girlfriend, Taylor Swift, and more.
One major topic of conversation was Travis’ viral moment with the Chiefs’ head coach, Andy Reid. During a tense exchange on the field, Travis was seen shouting in Reid’s face and bumping into him, causing him to stumble.
The professional athlete addressed the situation, admitting the moment was “definitely unacceptable,” and his brother, Jason, added that Travis “crossed a line.”
“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 like, ‘Oh s**t,’ in my head,” Travis shared.
Travis added that the moment came from a place of passion and wanting to prove to his coach that he could handle the pressure on the field.
“Yeah, I’m a passionate guy. I love Coach Reid. Coach Reid knows how much I love to play for him, how much I love to be a product of his coaching career,” Travis shared. “I’m not playing for anybody else but Big Red. If he calls it quits this year, I’m out of there with him, man. I’ve got a certain relationship with him.”
Travis added that he “immediately” wished he could take the moment back after it happened. He added that Coach Reid came up to him afterwards and chose not to chew him out over the moment, saying they even laughed about it afterwards.
“It wasn’t me mad at Coach Reid as it looks. It was the frustration of our team not having success, turning the ball over, and me being on the sideline,” Travis explained. “It was me showing my passion and frustration and letting Coach know he can put it on me, and I’ll make sure I get this s**t done. That’s what it was.”
In post-game interviews, Coach Reid confirmed Travis’ comments about his on-the-field remarks.
“He keeps me young,” Reid, 65, quipped of Travis, adding that he “tested that hip out. He caught me off-balance, normally I give him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.”
During the post-game press conference, Reid elaborated on the exchange, saying of Travis, “He was emotional today. I have five kids so I get how that goes.”
He also explained Travis’ sideline aggression, saying, “The part I love is he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win. And it’s not a selfish thing, that’s not what it is. And I understand that. So as much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off-balance.”
Later in the post-game press conference, Travis went on to praise his coach, saying, “I’ve got the greatest coach this game has ever seen. Unbelievable… He’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s helped me a lot with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion, and I owe my entire career to that guy being out of control in how emotional I get. I just love him.”
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime at Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday. Swift cheered on her man from a private box and later joined him on the field for the post-game celebrations.
