Andy Reid on Travis Kelce push: 'He wasn't looking'
With 12 minutes left in the second quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs trailed the San Francisco 49ers 3-0. The Chiefs were on the 49ers’ 9-yard line, and could essentially sniff the end zone. However, due to a Isiah Pacheco fumble, the Chiefs had to wait to satisfy their appetites.
Travis Kelce wasn’t happy about the situation. On the play of the fumble, Kelce was subbed out of the game. After the Chiefs lost the ball, cameras caught the standout tight end berating head coach Andy Reid, and even causing him to stumble after bumping into him.
Immediately, Kelce’s intense reaction spread like wildfire. While some fans claimed the future Hall-of-Famer was simply showing passion, others believe he crossed a line. After the game, Reid cleared the air about the eye-catching interaction.
“He wasn’t looking. He didn’t know I was gonna go that far. So after that he came over gave me a hug. Said ‘sorry about that,'” Reid said. “But you know what? He just wants to be on the field and he wants to play.
“And so there’s nobody I get better than I get him. He’s a competitive kid and you know, he loves to play and he makes me feel young. You know, but my balance is terrible.”
If Kelce was arguing his case to get more involved in the offense, it worked. He finished the game with a game-high nine receptions for 93 yards. Kelce tallied 31 receiving yards alone on the Chiefs’ game-tying drive at the end of regulation.
Travis Kelce praises Andy Reid
After the game, Kelce shared his perspective on his early outburst in the game.
“I got the greatest coach this game has ever seen,” Kelce told reporters. “He’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s helped me a lot with channeling that emotion and channeling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to control how emotional I get. I just love him.”
Although Kelce addressed the situation and apologized, he refused to reveal what was said. Thankfully, Reid wasn’t so tight-lipped about the one-sided conversation.
“He caught me off balance, I wasn’t watching. Cheap shot. But that’s alright, he did good,” Reid said. “He was really coming over to just go ‘Just put me in, I’ll score I’ll score.’ So that’s really what it was. I love that. I mean, it’s not the first time so I appreciate it.”