Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce admits his outburst toward coach Andy Reid during the Super Bowl on Sunday was “unacceptable”.
Kelce got into Reid’s face and shouted at the 65-year-old in the first quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers, which the Chiefs went on to win to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions in 19 years.
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 success, all was forgotten.
Kelce’s high-profile relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift meant there was even greater focus on him heading into the Super Bowl.
The 34-year-old says he was unhappy with being taken off, jokingly telling ESPN: “I was just telling him how much I love him.”
Kelce grew frustrated after Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball from eight yards out while he was off the field.
On his New Heights podcast alongside brother Jason, he added: “It’s definitely unacceptable and I immediately wished I could have taken it back. Coach Reid actually came right up to me after that and didn’t even have harsh words for me.
“I’m a passionate guy. I love coach Reid. He knows how much I love to play for him, how much I love to be a product of his coaching career.
“It came in a moment when we weren’t playing very well and I wasn’t playing very well.”
Co-host Jason, who plays for Philadelphia Eagles, said: “The yelling in his face, too, was over the top.”
The Chiefs celebrated their successive Super Bowl crowns with a trophy parade in Kansas City on Wednesday.
Star quarter-back Patrick Mahomes has already turned his focus to winning a hat-trick of successive Super Bowls.
“We’re going for that three-peat. Don’t get it twisted, we’re doing it. Three times, first time in NFL history. We’re doing it,” Mahomes told the crowd.