Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce dedicated their Super Bowl comeback win to head coach Andy Reid after earlier barging into the 65-year-old and shouting in his face.
Kelce, whose high-profile relationship with pop star Taylor Swift meant there was even greater focus on him and the game, was unhappy about not being on the field in the first quarter when Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball with the Chiefs eight yards out and looking for their first touchdown.
Reid was knocked off balance but made little of the incident and, when Patrick Mahomes threw the match-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman Jr to secure a 25-22 overtime win, all was forgotten.
“Oh you guys saw that?” Kelce told CBS when asked about it immediately after the game.
“I’m going to keep that between us unless my mic’d up tells the world but I was just telling him how much I love him.”
Speaking on ESPN SportsCenter Kelce, who shared a kiss on the pitch with Swift after she flew in from her Eras Tour show in Tokyo the day before, added: “Man, I was fired up — I was fired up that we weren’t hitting on all cylinders.
“I had to give ‘Big Red’ a love tap and let him know that we were all here fighting for him no matter what. I just had to tell him I loved him real quick.
“I put so much trust in him and how he goes about being a head coach, as a leader — he’s one of the best leaders in the game.
“I can’t thank him enough for giving me opportunities year in, year out. This third one, this second one back-to-back, this one’s for him, no doubt.”
Talking to reporters Kelce added: “I’ve got the greatest coach this game has ever seen.
“He’s helped me a lot with channelling that emotion, channelling that passion and I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to control how emotional I get. I just love him.”
The experienced Reid, who won his third Super Bowl title, played down the incident telling ESPN: “He came over and gave me a hug, said ‘Sorry about that”.
He just wants to be on the field and he wants to play. There’s nobody I get better than I get him. He’s a competitive kid, and he loves to play. He makes me feel young.”
In his post-match press conference the head coach added: “He caught me off-balance – he tested that hip out. Normally I get him a little bit but I didn’t have any feet under me.
“As much as he bumps into me, I get after him. We understand that. He just caught me off balance.”
Panthers defensive lineman Brown could miss rest of season
The Carolina Panthers not only suffered a 47-10 blowout defeat to the New Orleans Saints in their 2024 opener on Sunday, but they also may have lost Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.
NFL Network reported Monday that Brown will undergo surgery to repair a meniscus injury, and a timeline to return will be determined following the procedure.
Brown was a bright spot for the league-worst Panthers last season, leading all NFL defensive linemen with 103 tackles and tying for fourth with six passes defenced to earn his first Pro Bowl selection.
In April, the seventh overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was rewarded with a four-year, $96million contract extension through the 2028 season.
Brown’s only missed game of his NFL career came in 2021. He’s started 64 of 67 contests while recording 248 tackles, eight sacks, two interceptions and 21 passes defenced.
Prescott targets Super Bowl win after signing bumper Cowboys contract
Dak Prescott has set his sights on Super Bowl success after signing a bumper new deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas struck an agreement with Prescott just prior to their opening game of the season on Sunday, with the new contract, which runs through the 2028 season, worth $240million with $231m guaranteed.
That makes Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history.
"A little emotional call," Prescott said when reflecting on receiving the video call from his agent while he was warming up for Sunday's clash with the Cleveland Browns.
Prescott went on to lead the Cowboys to a 33-17 victory, completing 19 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
And the 31-year-old knows the pressure is on for him to deliver this season.
"It's my only motivation," Prescott said.
"Hold up my part of this deal. Just deliver that. That's my motivation.
"Right now it's about celebrating this win tonight. Hell of a win with these guys, excited for this plane ride back with them, but then turning the page tomorrow, getting on to the [New Orleans] Saints and taking it one game at a time.
"That is what is at the forefront of my mind. Not the money. It's about holding up my end of the deal. And I want to do it here."
Prescott failed with 13 of his passes against the Browns, and insists he must improve on that level.
"I put the most pressure on myself. Simple as that," he said.
I'm not happy with my performance and that's what motivates me. That's what pushes me. You try to be bummed about it in the locker room, but you know it's a win on the road, which is good for the team and then you got teammates telling you it was a hell of a day for you.
"I put the most pressure on myself. Nobody's a bigger critic than I am personally, and I expect greatness out of myself with my standards, my expectations and the same for this team."
Tyreek Hill 'trying to put it all together' after police altercation
Tyreek Hill was "still trying to put it all together" after he was detained by police ahead of the Miami Dolphins' opening NFL game.
Hill was detained after an altercation with an officer after he was stopped for reckless driving just hours ahead of the Dolphins' clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The 30-year-old was subsequently released, and not only played for Miami in their 20-17 win over Jacksonville, but crossed for a touchdown, celebrating by mimicking being put into handcuffs.
A video of Hill's altercation with the police went viral on social media, and after the game, he said: "Right now, I'm still trying to put it all together. I still don't know what happened.
"But I do want to use this platform to say, 'What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' Worst-case scenario, you know?
"Everybody has bad apples in every situation, but I want to be able to use this platform to figure out a way to flip this and make it a positive on my end and Miami-Dade and do something positive for the community.
"It's hard. I don't want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do. What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?
"Lord knows what those guys would have done. I just wanted to make sure I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you're in a situation like that - put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen."
Videos showed Hill pinned to the floor, surrounded by four officers, and Miami-Dade police department has now lodged an internal investigation."
One of Hill's teammates, Calais Campbell, was also detained as he tried to de-escalate the situation.
"Disobeying a direct order," Campbell said when he was asked why he had been detained. "He [the police officer] said I was too close to the scene and then I think he said something about me not moving my car in time, I don't know.
"He told me I wasn't being arrested but he cited me for being detained and then released."
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