Travis Kelce’s meltdown moment on the sidelines to coach Andy Reid was one of the main distractions from their sensational Super Bowl win last night. But what infuriated the player and what he said to the Kansas City coach as he manhandled him and sent him off balance was unlcear.
Now DailyMail.com can reveal that the tight end shouted, ‘Keep me in. You f****r! I’m calm now!’ – after lip readers decoded the pair’s viral exchange. Kelce, 34, erupted in anger during Sunday’s match after his teammates fumbled a pass made by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He then body bumped Reid, causing him to momentarily lose his balance, grabbed his arm and began shouting at him – as his pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from the $1million family suite at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
His teammate Jerrod McKinnon pulled Kelce away from the 65-year-old coach, ending the heated altercation. Kelce, refusing to discuss the incident in detail, said in the aftermath of the team’s victory that his rage was down to the fact that he ‘wanted the score to be different’ and that Reid is ‘one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life.’
Travis Kelce looked less than enthused pic.twitter.com/yncKhjtNl4
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024
Lip readers have revealed to MailOnline the choice words that Travis Kelce shouted at Kansas City coach Andy Reid during his shocking Super Bowl meltdown last night. Kelce, 34, erupted in anger during Sunday’s match after his teammates fumbled a pass. The tight end then body slammed his 65-year-old coach, causing him to momentarily lose his balance, grabbed his arm and began shouting at him
Kelce was apparently unhappy about not being on the field when Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball with the Chiefs eight yards out looking for their first touchdown. Approaching from the side, cameras caught Kelce storming towards Reid and bumping into him, causing him to temporarily lose his footing. The pair’s interaction set off a social media firestorm as viewers speculated about what was said.
But Kelce, speaking to reporters after the Chiefs’ dramatic 25-22 win, refused to share. He said: ‘You guys saw that? ‘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.’ Although he didn’t publicly apologize for the altercation, Kelce had nothing but praise for his long-term coach and dedicated their Super Bowl comeback win to him after the game.
He told ESPN SportsCenter after the win: ‘Man, I was fired up — I was fired up that we weren’t hitting on all cylinders. ‘I had to give ‘Big Red’ a love tap and let him know that we were all here fighting for him no matter what. I just had to tell him I loved him real quick. ‘I put so much trust in him and how he goes about being a head coach, as a leader — he’s one of the best leaders in the game. I can’t thank him enough for giving me opportunities year in, year out. This third one, this second one back-to-back, this one’s for him, no doubt.’
Kelce added: ‘I’ve got the greatest coach this game has ever seen. ‘And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get and just love him.’
Reid also played down the altercation, claiming that Kelce just wanted to be on the field. ‘He just wants to be on the field and he wants to play. There’s nobody I get better than I get him. He’s a competitive kid, and he loves to play. He makes me feel young.’ ‘He caught me off balance. I wasn’t watching. He was really coming over [and saying], ‘Just put me in, I’ll score. I’ll score.’ So, that’s really what it was. I love that. It’s not the first time. I appreciate him.’
‘The part I love is he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win. It’s not a selfish thing. That’s not what it is. I understand that. As much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off balance.’ Reid, recalling the incident to ESPN, also revealed: ‘He came over and gave me a hug, said ‘Sorry about that’. The Super Bowl was not the first time that Kelce was seen suffering an on-field meltdown.
On Christmas Day, he had another tete-a-tete with coach Reid, and was spotted slamming his helmet to the floor during a 20-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. 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. Regardless of the actual reasons for the tiff, social media reacted with hilarity, comparing the spat to sandwich orders, anger over a potential remake of the 1990s hit movie Twister and a debate of the best T. Swift era.
With the notable exception of his furious sideline outburst at Reid, the only peep Kelce made over the first two quarters was a single catch on a single target for a single yard. Then the man known to many as Mr. Taylor Swift started making noise. It wasn’t overwhelming production — nine catches for 93 yards — but for the Chiefs and one of their emotional leaders, it helped change momentum.
The San Francisco 49ers defense that had stifled Kansas City in the first half suddenly became vulnerable, the relentless pass rush of Nick Bosa and Chase Young slowed down somewhat, and the breaks that had been going against the Chiefs suddenly went in their favor.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift share a passionate kiss after the Kansas City chief’s Super Bowl win
By the end of regulation, Kelce was making a ruckus, barreling over 49ers defenders to set up the Chiefs’ game-tying field goal and force overtime, where he picked up a key first down deep in 49ers territory. That play – a gritty seven-yard gain down to 3-yard line – would set up Patrick Mahomes’ game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. And with the 25-22 victory in hand, Kelce and the Chiefs were champions for the third time in five years.
During the game, Kelce had his entire family in a VIP suite that he personally paid over $1million for – with the most notable guest, Swift, flying all the way from Tokyo for the game. Swift was performing a fourth Eras Tour show in Japan on Saturday night, where she then hot-footed it straight to a private jet at the airport to get back to America. She then spent Saturday night at her home in LA, before boarding another jet to Vegas in time for the big game on Sunday afternoon.
Travis’ brother Jason was also present with his wife Kelce, while their mom Donna and dad Ed were also both there. Swift’s parents Scott and Andrea joined the group in the box, while Taylor brought some friends too – including Blake Lively and Ice Spice.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift share a passionate kiss after the Kansas City chief’s Super Bowl win
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also made an appearance in the box before the game, and was spotted deep in conversation with Swift. The Chiefs last night became the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners in 19 years with a 25-22 overtime win over the 49ers in Las Vegas. Needing a field goal to extend the game or a touchdown to win, Mahomes orchestrated the match-winning drive to end the game with a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman Jr.
The 49ers were leading by three in overtime after they opted for a field goal to go ahead 22-19, but were unable to get the decisive stop. It was the second time in NFL history a Super Bowl went to overtime and the first post-season game decided under the league’s new overtime rules. The only points in the first quarter came through kicker Jake Moody, who made Super Bowl history with the longest made field goal at 55 yards.
Disaster struck 49ers’ linebacker Dre Greenlaw early in the second quarter when he went down with a suspected Achilles injury while running onto the field and was immediately ruled out of the game. But not long after, a special trick-play led to the first touchdown of the game, with Purdy passing across field to wide-receiver Jauan Jennings before he threw a pass to Christian McCaffrey who ran through to the endzone untouched. The 49ers restricted Kelce to just one touch for one yard in the first half and sacked Mahomes twice, with the 49ers ahead 10-3 at halftime.
As play resumed, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker broke Moody’s Super Bowl record with a 57-yard field goal before a fumble error gave the Chiefs a huge chance for their first touchdown. Mahomes found wide-receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a 16-yard touchdown pass to take the lead for the first time in the game late in the third quarter. However the 49ers hit back – with Purdy finding Jennings this time to score his own touchdown – however the bonus point was blocked, giving the 49ers a three-point lead with 11 minutes left.
A field goal to Butker tied the game once again, before Moody struck back to give the 49ers the lead again with less than two minutes left. However, Butker finished regulation time with a field goal with six seconds left to tie the game 19-19.
