Jason Kelce’s furious confrontation with a fan ahead of Penn State’s showdown with Ohio State on Saturday is under investigation by Penn State University Police.
Kelce was heckled by a Nittany Lions fan as he walked towards Beaver Stadium, reacting angrily after a homophobic slur was directed at the Philadelphia Eagles icon over his brother Travis’ high-profile relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.
“Kelce, how’s it feel [that] your brother’s a f—– [for] dating Taylor Swift,” the fan said in a video clip uploaded to social media. The video showed the one-time Super Bowl champion ignoring numerous barbs until he finally snapped, grabbing the heckler’s phone and throwing it to the ground.
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ESPN pundit Kelce then said to the man “Who’s the f—– now?” Another fan stepped in to prevent the confrontation from spiraling out of control.
Kelce was condemned for using the same slur that was directed at his brother – a four-time All-Pro tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs – although he also received widespread sympathy after being subjected to what seemed to be such unprovoked abuse.
Kelce made clear he regretted his actions during his appearance on the ‘Monday Night Countdown’ panel ahead of the Chiefs’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the matter is not closed just yet, with Penn State officers looking into the incident.
The incident was registered on the department’s online log on Saturday, which stated an “officer observed a visitor damaging personal property.” Criminal mischief and disorderly conduct were listed as the potential offenses committed.
Jacqueline Sheader, Penn State University public information officer, confirmed to the Associated Press that the log related to Kelce’s confrontation and said an investigation was ongoing.
Kelce, who retired earlier this year and has made a charismatic entrance to the broadcasting world, cut a subdued figure as ‘Monday Night Countdown’ host Scott Van Pelt invited him to give his side of the story.
“I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it,” Kelce said. “In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing. I really don’t. I don’t think that it leads to discourse and it’s the right way to go about things. In that moment, I fell down to a level that I shouldn’t have.
“I think the bottom line is, I try to live my life by the golden rule. That’s what I’ve always been taught. I try to treat people with common decency and respect, and I’m going to keep doing that going forward even though I fell short this week. I’m going to do that moving forward.”
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