Following their 17-10 AFC Championship win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the two stars of the Kansas City Chiefs have not minced any words about their altercation with Ravens kicker Justin Tucker after Tucker might have interfered with Patrick Mahomes pregame routine. Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce seemed to forcibly remove Tuckers kicking stand and other equipment after supposedly asking him politely to give the quarterback some space. This short interaction has now caused a major stir in the NFL community after Kelce went on his podcast and called out the kicker for being a “dick”.
Travis Kelce from his 1st Super Bowl to this most current one has maybe had the biggest slide in likability known to man. Very “everything is about me vibe now”…
— ThePredictors (@Thepredictors_) January 31, 2024
Patrick Mahomes addressed the pregame antics of his star tight end by claiming on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City, “ I’ve had seven years of doing that same warmup routine and there’s only been like three occasions where there’s been a kicker that wasn’t moving out of the way.” Mahomes also claimed that Tucker’s actions were under the intention of the kicker “trying to get under our skin”.
Travis Kelce threw Justin Tucker’s helmet and moved his football’s since he was in the way of Patrick Mahomes warming up 😭
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 28, 2024
(via: @JamesPalmerTV) pic.twitter.com/uWxI5YG44D
Although there are always two sides to every story it seems to me like Kelce is trying to act like a tough guy even after coming out with the win. I understand that a man wants to defend himself and his reputation, but the way that Travis Kelce has acted since their AFC Championship win does not convince me that he was not fully in the right. Giving everyone their space when warming up is totally justifiable but the way Kelce removed Tucker’s equipment seems uncalled for and could have been done in a more professional manner given the situation. Even if Tucker was trying to troll the two Chiefs superstars, your reaction speaks much louder than your words when you act like an entitled child in an opponent's stadium. Travis Kelce has been a household name in the NFL for six plus years and has been in the NFL since 2013. You would think someone that has been at their job for a decade would be able to handle some troll behavior with some more gumption but hey if I was playing in back to back Super Bowls and dating a major pop star, I can understand how you could lose sight of yourself. Kelce will have all eyes on him in a week and a half as the Chiefs prepare for their Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers. I would not be surprised to see some antics from a 49ers team that are determined to finish off one of their best seasons in franchise history.