In case you missed it, there was a football game yesterday that was kind of a big deal, with the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
However, the win was hard-earned, with the Chiefs struggling in the first half of the game. They ended up beating the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in overtime when quarterback Patrick Mahomes secured the victorious ending with a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman Jr.
And it is evident that the pressure of the game was getting to the team early on, with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sparking backlash when he was caught screaming at and shoving his coach, Andy Reid.
The Chiefs were down 3–0 during the second quarter of the game, and when the team lost the ball close to the 49ers end zone, Andy opted to take Travis out of play.
But Travis clearly wasn’t having it, storming over to his coach and knocking the 65-year-old off-balance as he barged into him. He was then shown aggressively shouting in Andy’s face as Andy remained emotionless and avoided eye contact.
In the end, one of Travis’s teammates, Jerick McKinnon, led him away from their coach, but when Travis got to the sidelines, he whacked his helmet against the bench in anger.
The incident left a bad taste in the mouths of viewers at home, who took to social media to call out Travis’s “tantrum,” saying that it was an “unacceptable” way to behave toward his coach.
Sharing the clip to X, formerly known as Twitter, football pro Adam Breneman wrote, “Anyone who isn’t named Travis Kelce would be sent to the locker room if they did this to their head coach.”
Anyone who isn’t named Travis Kelce would be sent to the locker room if they did this to their head coach pic.twitter.com/GK5j5mlAJ0
Another tweeted, “Travis Kelce should get the biggest ass chewing he has ever had in his life for doing this. Don’t care how good of a player you are, you respect your coach.”
Travis Kelce should get the biggest ass chewing he has ever had in his life for doing this.
“Travis Kelce throwing a tantrum at his coach is NOT exhibiting the traits of a ‘competitor’ but rather a petulant CHILD,” another wrote. Somebody else added, “Totally unacceptable behavior at any level in sports shown by Travis Kelce.”
Travis Kelce throwing a tantrum at his coach is NOT exhibiting the traits of a “competitor” but rather a petulant CHILD.
“Travis Kelce showed his diva colors in this #SuperBowl,” one more wrote. “To disrespect a hall of fame coach like Andy Reid in that manner is a disgrace. Truly embarrassing and shameful.”
Travis Kelce showed his diva colors in this #SuperBowl To disrespect a hall of fame coach like Andy Reid in that manner is a disgrace. Truly embarrassing and shameful.
However, both Travis and Andy downplayed the situation after their team’s win, with Andy telling CBS, via Page Six, “He keeps me young. He tested that hip out; he caught me off-balance. Normally I get him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.”
And Travis was just as casual, telling reporters that he has “the greatest coach.” When asked about the altercation, Travis replied, “Ah, you guys saw that? I’mma keep that between us … I was just telling him how much I love him.”
This is far from the first time in recent months that sports fans have called out Travis’s behavior — the star also faced scrutiny just last month when he was caught throwing rival footballer Justin Tucker’s belongings across the field before the game had even started, claiming that it was in Patrick’s way.
Travis was accused of showing a lack of “sportsmanship” and being “disrespectful” at the time, with some pointing out that Justin was in position on the field before Travis and Patrick arrived for their warmup.
In addition, Justin is a kicker and subsequently only has two spots on the field where he can warm up, with the Chiefs’ kicker, Harrison Butker, occupying the only alternative. Meanwhile, Travis and Patrick are able to use anywhere on the field.
Travis also had a meltdown when the Chiefs lost against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day: He was seen throwing his helmet down the sidelines in frustration toward the end of the first half.
At the time, Andy seemingly scolded Travis for his antics and even appeared to push the helmet farther away so that he couldn’t retrieve it immediately.
Travis addressed the situation on his New Heights podcast after the game, where he told his brother, Jason Kelce, “I gotta lock the fuck in and be more accountable for [Andy] and be more accountable for my teammates.”
Travis then added, “I gotta keep my fucking cool, man, because as a leader, that’s not how you switch the momentum.”
