Jason Kelce has issued a mea culpa after a heated confrontation with an attendee at a recent college football game.
The former Philadelphia Eagles center attended the Penn State-Ohio State matchup in Happy Valley on Nov. 2, when someone shouted a homophobic slur about his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as captured in viral videos verified by NBC News.
The retired NFL player seemingly responded by slamming the person’s phone on the ground and calling the fan the same slur in return.
Ahead of the “Monday Night Football” game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nov. 4, Jason Kelce took a moment to address the situation and his reaction.
During the “Monday Night Countdown” segment on ESPN, Jason Kelce said, “You know, listen, I think everybody’s seen on social media everything that took place this week. Listen, I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it.”
He continued, “In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don’t think that that’s a productive thing. I really don’t.”
Jason Kelce said his response was not appropriate.
“In that moment, I fell down to a level that I shouldn’t have. So I think the bottom line is, I try to live my life by the golden rule…” he said. “I try to treat people with common decency and respect, and I’m going to keep doing that moving forward.”
He acknowledged that he “fell short” of that mindset during the exchange and that he will try to be better in the future.
“I think we got a game to focus on, obviously a match up. I don’t think this is the platform to necessarily go into more detail. So, let’s get ready for this Chiefs’ game,” he concluded.
In one video shared on social media, Jason Kelce was seen walking in a crowd outside Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. As fans shouted in the clip, one man was heard asking about Travis Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift and using a homophobic slur to describe him.
Jason Kelce then appeared to turn around upon hearing the slur and grab for a phone, which he smashed to the ground.
In another video of the incident, a man appeared to be chasing after Jason Kelce, asking for him to return the phone. Jason Kelce seemed to say the slur back to the man.
It was not immediately clear whose phone Jason Kelce smashed and if it was the man who said the slur.
Jason Kelce, an analyst on “Monday Night Football,” is being represented by ESPN amid the phone-smashing incident, and the network declined to comment.
Jason Kelce was attending the game after appearing on ESPN’s “College GameDay” Nov. 2. After being dared to try Pat McAfee’s kicking contest, Jason Kelce attempted two field goal kicks and missed both.
Travis Kelce and Swift have been dating since at least September 2023, when she debuted their relationship by attending the Chiefs’ matchup against the Chicago Bears. The tight end memorably expressed his interest in the singer on the podcast “New Heights,” which he co-hosts with his brother.
While Jason Kelce was at the Penn State game Nov. 2, Travis Kelce was in Indianapolis to see one of Swift’s final “Eras Tour” shows in the U.S.
