“He loves to play the game, and he loves to help his team win. It’s not a selfish thing,” the Kansas City Chiefs head coach shared about Kelce’s apparent criticism of a bad call during the big game
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. But Reid is looking back at Kelce’s Super Bowl sideline shove 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.”
