Jason Kelce’s altercation with a Penn State fan is being investigated by university police, with the NFL legend expressing regret over his outburst during a TV appearance
Penn State University Police are investigating a heated exchange involving Jason Kelce and a fan before the Penn State vs Ohio State game on Saturday.
The Philadelphia Eagles and NFL legend was taunted by a Nittany Lions fan as he approached Beaver Stadium, and things escalated when a homophobic insult was hurled at him regarding his brother Travis’ romance with Taylor Swift.
“Kelce, how’s it feel [that] your brother’s a f—– [for] dating Taylor Swift,” the fan jeered in a video that went viral online. The footage captures Kelce enduring several jibes before losing his cool, seizing the heckler’s phone and throwing it to the ground.
Kelce, who now works for ESPN, retorted to the heckler: “Who’s the f—– now?” – as another bystander intervened to defuse the situation. Kelce faced criticism for echoing the slur initially aimed at his brother – a celebrated four-time All-Pro tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite this, he also garnered considerable sympathy for being the target of such seemingly unwarranted vitriol.
Kelce expressed his regret on ‘Monday Night Football’, live on ESPN. He said: “I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it. 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.”
Penn State University Police are now investigating the incident, as it was registered on the department’s online log on Saturday. The report stated an “officer observed a visitor damaging personal property”. Criminal mischief and disorderly conduct were listed as the potential offences committed.
Penn State University public information officer Jacqueline Sheader told the Associated Press the log related to Kelce’s incident. Sheader also said an investigation is ongoing.
