Travis Kelce shakes off ugly abuse of Kansas City Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid in Super Bowl LVIII

Ben McClellan
The Nightly
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts at Head coach Andy Reid in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts at Head coach Andy Reid in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce told the Las Vegas crowd after Kansas City’s greatest title win you had to “fight for your right to party” but in the early stages of the match he was berating Chiefs coach Andy Reid for his right to be on the field.

The ugly sideline blow up was largely overshadowed by the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl win in four years but if the 49ers had held on to claim their first title in two decades NFL analysts would be pouring over how the confrontation was the beginning of the end for Kansas on Monday.

Kelce’s vibe at the end of the game was an emphatic change after he bumped Reid on the sideline during the second quarter, knocking the 65-year-old a few steps back after teammate Isiah Pacheco fumbled inside the red zone.

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Kelce ran over to Reid and screamed at him after the play.

“You guys saw that?” Kelce said. “I’m going to keep it between us unless my mic’d up tells the world. I was just telling him how much I loved him.”

Reid said Kelce just wanted to be on the field. “There’s nobody I get better than I get him,” Reid said. “He’s a competitive kid. He loves to play. He makes me feel young. But my balance is terrible.”

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates after his team scored a touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates after his team scored a touchdown during the second half. Credit: Brynn Anderson/AP

NFL great Boomer Esiason said it was a poor look.

“That Travis Kelce thing on the sideline — I did not like it. That tells me they (the Chiefs) are frustrated,” Esiason said during the half-time show.

During the match call on Channel 7 former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo explained why Kelce lost his cool.

“What happened (was), on the fumble, he was not in the game; Noah Gray went in, and he had to block (Deommodore) Lenoir, and Lenoir made him swim actually created the fumble,” he said.

“I think Kelce knows, he’s like, ‘Just keep me in there, even for running the ball’.”

The meltdown was the second sideline incident involving Kelce and Reid this season.

During a game against the Raiders on Christmas Day, an angry Kelce spiked his helmet on the sideline, and when a staff member tried to hand it back to the tight end so that he could take the field, Reid grabbed the helmet and refused to give it back.

There were much more affectionate scenes after the heart-stopping victory with Kelce’s post-game pash with superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift capping off a strong day on the field for the future Hall of Famer.

He finished with nine receptions for 93 yards, including a crucial catch in overtime, to help the Chiefs win their second straight Super Bowl with a 25-22 victory over San Francisco.

One play after Kelce’s reception put the Chiefs on the 3-yard line, Patrick Mahomes found Mecole Hardman alone in the end zone for the winning TD, which sent Swift and everyone in her suite into a celebratory frenzy.

“Never a doubt in my mind,” Kelce said. “We’ve got the best quarterback in the league, we’ve got the best offensive line in the league, and we’ve got the most determination out of any team in the NFL and you saw all that tonight.

“I guess at this point I take it for granted, but I know we’re in every single game I’ve ever played in, no matter what the score is or no matter how much time is left, that guy’s got magic in his right arm,” Kelce said.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs kisses Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 2 during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Travis Kelce kisses Taylor Swift post-match. Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

One night after Swift earned her fourth career Grammy for album of the year last week, Kelce said he told her he’d “have to hold up my end of the bargain and bring home some hardware, too.”

Swift flew halfway around the world to watch her boyfriend, who also said during the Super Bowl week’s opening night on Monday, “I want this one more than I’ve ever wanted a Super Bowl before in my life.”

After the game, Kelce said it’s on to the next feat.

“I’m going to go ahead and enjoy this and everything that just happened,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I’ve been able to go through three times now. It gets sweeter and sweeter every time.

“You know the goal has always been to get three. But we couldn’t get here without getting that two, and having that target on our back all year.”

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