Travis Kelce said his brother Jason Kelce was defending his family when he reacted to a heckling fan Saturday by slamming the fan’s phone onto the ground. The brothers discussed the incident, which led to a Penn State police investigation and included Jason exchanging a homophobic slur with the fan, on an episode of their “New Heights Podcast” released Wednesday.
“I know it’s weighing on you, brother. … Everybody passing around the videos that are out there. That’s gonna make it a bigger situation than, I think, what it really is,” Travis said on the podcast.
“But the real situation is you had some f— clown come up to you and talk about your family and you reacted in a way that was defending your family. And you might have used some words that you regret using. And that’s a situation that where you just kinda have to learn from and own.”
Jason, a former Philadelphia Eagles center, was in State College to appear on “College GameDay,” which was in town for Saturday’s matchup between Penn State and Ohio State. While outside Beaver Stadium, a fan walking behind Jason can be heard on video using a homophobic slur regarding the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis. The fan said: “Kelce, how does it feel that your brother is a fa— for dating Taylor Swift?”
Jason then turned around and appeared to take the phone of the fan who said the slur and throw it on the ground. The fan demanded Jason give him the phone back and Jason responded: “Who’s the fa— now?”
Jason Kelce previously addressed the incident on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” and said he was “not proud of it.” On the podcast, he expressed further remorse, saying he’s “not happy about the situation.”
“Me reacting gave him the time of day and it also gave the situation notoriety,” Jason said. “That’s what I regret. It didn’t deserve attention. It’s really stupid. And if I just keep walking, it’s a nothing burger. Nobody sees it. Now it’s out there and it just perpetuates more hate.
“The thing I regret the most is saying that word, to be honest with you. The word (the fan) used, it’s just ridiculous and it takes it to another level. … It’s dehumanizing and it got under my skin.”
Travis commended his brother for “owning” the situation, telling Jason that “speaking about it shows how sincere you are to a lot of people in this world.”
“Especially what you said on Monday night that you … you don’t choose hate. That’s just not who you are,” Travis said.
A Penn State University Police and Public Safety spokesperson confirmed Tuesday the department is investigating the incident and the process for reviewing the case is ongoing.
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(Photo of Jason and Travis Kelce: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
