Don't dare label Travis Kelce an anti-hero. Despite the apparent heated clash with Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during their Sept. 21 game, the team's star tight end was adamant that their bond remains as solid as ever.
"I adore that guy, man," the 35-year-old Travis told reporters at a press conference on Sept. 26, as reported by the Kansas City Star. "Nothing outside of this stadium is going to change how I feel about him. We understand each other's motives inside and out."
The three-time Super Bowl champion, who became engaged to Taylor Swift in August, went on to lavish praise on the 67-year-old coach for pushing him to new heights as a player. "I think Coach Reid's greatest strength is that he pushes guys to be their absolute best, and I love that about him," he continued. "It definitely propelled my game to a whole new level in that game."
Similarly, Andy remained tight-lipped about the specifics of what led to the seemingly tense exchange, dismissing it as just another day at the office. "[Travis] knows when to ease off the gas and when to step on it," he remarked at a post-game press conference, according to CBS Sports. "That's one of the things I love about him. The guy is fully committed; sometimes, I just have to play the role of the enforcer."
The seasoned football coach, who has been at the helm of the Chiefs since 2013, also noted that he and Travis have weathered many storms together over the course of their professional relationship before playfully commenting on his star player's passion for the game. "He's an emotional guy," Andy observed with a chuckle. "He's got Irish blood in him."
It wasn't the first time the two had found themselves caught up in the heat of the moment, either. During the 2024 Super Bowl, cameras captured Travis yelling in his coach's face and grabbing his arm on the sidelines, though he swiftly took responsibility for the incident. "I can't let myself get that worked up to the point where I'm knocking him off balance," Travis said on his New Heights podcast days later. "When he stumbled, I was just like, 'Oh, s**t,' in my head."
"I love Coach Reid," Travis reiterated. "Coach Reid knows just how much I cherish being a part of his coaching legacy."
