Travis Kelce on Andy Reid Super Bowl Shove: ‘I Immediately Wished I Would’ve Took It Back’

Super Bowl LVIII ended with a triumph for the Kansas City Chiefs, a feat that colored all of the moments leading up to the big win with rose-colored glasses. The team played with a passion that at one point escalated to the height of Travis Kelce almost knocking over head coach Andy Reid, who the tight end seemingly believed made a bad call in pulling him off the field during the second quarter.

“It wasn’t me mad at Coach Reid, as it looks. It was the frustration of our team not having success, turning the ball over, and me being on the sideline,” Kelce explained on a new episode of the New Heights podcast he hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, adding: “I immediately wished I would’ve taken it back. Coach Reid actually came right up to me after that and he just let me know, ‘Hey man, I love your passion. But I got cameras on me all over the place.” The athlete shared that the exchange only fired him up more.

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“Big Red, sorry if I caught you with that cheap shot, baby,” Kelce joked. “But damn I love winning with you.” He also considered his brother’s hypothetical that the next time Reid is fired up himself, he’ll have a chance to get back at him. “If he had a cold cocked me in the face right there, I would have just ate it,” he said.

When Reid looked back at Kelce’s Super Bowl sideline shove earlier this week, he saw it as a product of the drive that led them to victory. “The part I love is that he loves to play the game, and he wants to help his team win,” Reid told reporters following the Chief’s overtime win. “It’s not a selfish thing, that’s not what it is, and I understand that. So, as much as he bumps into me, I get after him, and we understand that.”

In the clip of Kelce and Reid’s interaction, the coach stumbled as the player grabbed his arm and voiced his dissatisfaction with the decision. He had been taken out of the game just before a run off left tackle by Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco resulted in a fumble and a Chiefs turnover. At the time, the San Francisco 49ers were in the lead. Naturally, tensions were running high. Chiefs player Jerick McKinnon quickly intervened on the sideline and moved Kelce away from Reid.

“He keeps me young,” the 65-year-old coach joked during the post-game interview, adding: “He tested that hip out. He caught me off balance — normally, I’d give him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes chalked the moment up to an example of the connection Reid has built with his team. “Everybody loves the game, everybody wants to compete,” he said. “Coach Reid wants to compete as well, you watch out or you might get a little bit too. That’s the mentality we’ve always had and that’s how we can win this kind of game.”

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