Travis Kelce and Justin Tucker‘s pregame interaction proves football can be just as dramatic as reality TV.
During the Wednesday, January 31, episode of his “New Heights” podcast, Kelce, 34, explained what really went down on the field after he was seen throwing the Baltimore Ravens kicker’s helmet during warm-ups before the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 28.
“I love how I’m being painted as the bad guy for this,” the tight end told his brother and cohost, Jason Kelce, when asked to share his side of the story.
Travis explained that the Kansas City Chiefs do the “same warm-up” before every game “on our side of the field,” noting that the both teams have their own side of the field to practice on before kickoff. Players like kickers or punters, however, have access to either side to account for “the wind factor.”
“If you’re trying to go onto the other team’s designated area, you kind of stay out of their way,” Travis continued. “You don’t interfere with what they have going on. … That’s the unwritten rule. If you wanna be a f–king dick about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your f–king kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up.”
When Jason pointed out that leaving the gear out in the open could be “dangerous” for the other players, Travis added, “Like, if you’re not gonna pick that up, I’ll happily move that for you.”
Travis raised eyebrows on Sunday when he appeared to have a tense exchange with Tucker, 34, before the playoff game. In a video shared via social media, Travis tossed Tucker’s Ravens helmet out of the way to clear space for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to warm up near the end zone. Tucker smirked as he continued to stretch.
The Chiefs ultimately defeated the Ravens 17-10 and advanced to Super Bowl LVIII, where they’ll play the San Francisco 49ers. Following Sunday’s loss, Tucker told reporters that he thought he’d moved his things “enough out of the way” for Mahomes, 28, to practice.
“And then, Travis comes over and he just kicks my stuff and he throws my helmet, and I thought it was all just some gamesmanship, all in good fun,” he said. “But they seemed to be taking it a little bit more seriously.”
Tucker insisted, “It’s not like I’m out there trying to be problematic. I’m just trying to get ready for the football game just like they are.”
While recapping the run-in on Wednesday, Travis noted that Tucker was “trying to get under the skin” and “being a dick” — but he wasn’t fazed. “I get it, but me and Pat, we’ve been having the same mentality for this game all week long. … We just weren’t in a joking mood,” he told Jason, who agreed that Tucker “knew what he was doing” with his helmet placement “to poke the buttons.”
Travis then issued an apology to Tucker, teasing, “Sorry if we took it to a level that you didn’t think it’d get to … but if you’re gonna be a dick, I promise you I can one-up you every time.”
Despite experiencing a “hostile” environment in Baltimore on Sunday, the Chiefs pulled out a big win — and Travis couldn’t be more grateful. “It feels like it’s a little bit sweeter, man,” he said of defying the odds in an opposing stadium. “This road to where we are now has been more of a challenge, which means you have to overcome more … this one meant a lot.”
