Apologizing once again.
I'll go ahead and admit that I'm in the camp that doesn't think Jason Kelce had anything to apologize for after his viral phone-smashing incident over the weekend at Penn State.
And I'm not alone. It seems like the entire internet was on Kelce's side this weekend after video went viral of the retired Philadelphia Eagles center confronting a heckler while he was in State College for the Big 10 matchup between Penn State and Ohio State.
In the video, the troll can be heard taunting Kelce with a gay slur directed at his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce:
“Hey Kelce, how does it feel your brother’s a f****t dating Taylor Swift?”
Well Kelce obviously didn't appreciate that, and turned around and smashed the fan's phone into the ground.
https://twitter.com/jarrett_daveler/status/1852742194248962053
Perfect form there, honestly.
Further video shows that after slamming the phone down, Kelce picked it up and walked off before dropping it on the ground. And when he bent down to pick it up again, the fan ran up to him and pushed him, yelling at Jason to give his phone back.
Kelce then stood up and confronted the little punk again:
"Who's the f****t now?"
https://twitter.com/JoePops_/status/1852771781599220073
https://twitter.com/citygalsports/status/1853477079142068540
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think I can speak for everybody when I say: Fuck that kid.
People have gotten way too comfortable talking shit behind a computer screen and haven't had to face consequences for their words. This kid thought he could say whatever he wanted to get some likes on TikTok without having to be held accountable, and he found out quickly that wasn't the case.
But anyway, Kelce took time earlier this week ahead of Monday Night Football to issue a completely unnecessary (but probably forced by ESPN) apology for his behavior:
"Listen, I'm not happy with anything that took place. I'm not proud of it. In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don't think that that's a productive thing. I really don't. I don't think that it leads to discourse, and it's the right way to go about things. And in that moment, I fell down to a level that I shouldn't have...I try to live my life by the golden rule. That's what I've always been taught. I try to treat people with common decency and respect. And I'm going to keep doing that moving forward, even though I fell short this week."
https://twitter.com/Beardaknowledge/status/1853584513214927270
And today on his New Heights podcast, which Jason hosts alongside Travis, he again took time to address the situation, revealing that his biggest regret from the whole situation was using the same slur that the kid used to heckle him:
"I'm not happy about the situation. Me reacting gave him the time of day, and it also gave this situation notariety. That's what I regret. It didn't deserve attention. It's really stupid. And if I just keep walking, it's a nothingburger. Nobody sees it. Now, it's out there and it just perpetuates more hate.The thing that I regret the most is saying that word, to be honest with you. The word he used, it's just f*cking ridiculous. And it takes it to another level. It's just off the wall, f*cking over the line. And it's dehumanizing, and it got under my skin, and it elicited a reaction.In the heat of the moment, I thought in my head, 'Hey, what can I say back to him? I'm going to throw that sh*t right back in his face, because f*ck him.'I know now that I shouldn't have done that, because now there's a video out there with me saying that word, him saying that word, and it's not good for anybody.What I do regret is that now there's a video that is very hateful that is now out there that has been seen by millions of people. And I share fault in perpetuating it and having that out there."
Of course Travis supported his brother, applauding him for standing up for family in a tough situation.
But once again, I'll just say: Jason had nothing to apologize for.
https://twitter.com/BBQChiefs/status/1854203128650018842
