Travis Kelce is not pressed by brother Jason Kelce showing support for former team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
“You don’t have to explain anything to anybody,” Travis, 35, said during the Wednesday, February 12, episode of the “New Heights” podcast. “I know who Jason Kelce is and I know my brother and what his intentions are. And nobody can ever f—ing confuse that.”
He added, “You can’t let these jamokes online make you think that you’re in the wrong for what you’re saying. What you’re saying … I hear it. I hear it loud and clear. I think the people in the Philadelphia organization understand exactly who you are and what you represent and how you are saying it as well.”
Jason spoke candidly about how it was “terrible” for him to watch his former team, the Eagles, play Travis’ team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, February 9. (The Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22.)
“I knew it was going to be weird going into it,” Jason explained. “But it progressively got weirder as the week went on.”
Jason played 13 seasons as a center for the Eagles before retiring last year. He and wife Kylie Kelce still reside in Philadelphia. The former NFL star said on “New Heights” that he made it clear where his loyalties were — but continued to get backlash online.
Jason Kelce Reacts to Travis’ Super Bowl Loss: ‘Always Rooting for Him’
“On one hand, you played your entire life with an organization and team,” Jason continued. “A lot of people in that building — coaches, friends, teammates — that you’ve gone through adversity with, and it really makes you very, very close. And then, on the other hand, you have your brother. I’ve always supported you. I’ve always wanted you to win.”
Jason admitted the entire situation was “weird” and “hard to navigate” because of his affiliation with both teams.
“Obviously, I’m trying to say that I have people on the Eagles that I love and I also have you. And I tried to make it known that I was rooting for you and it felt like I couldn’t be right,” he added. “It felt like no matter what I said, some people were going to skew it and say that I’m rooting for the Eagles and some people were going to skew it and say that I was rooting for the Chiefs or Travis and it sucked.”
Travis was quick to chime in, referencing the “amount of hours and years” that Jason has put into the Eagles organization over the years.
“I know I always had your support, and I joked around saying with your cheering for the Eagles,” the Chiefs tight end said. “Listen, you and Kylie are there in Philly and have created one of the most beautiful situations that I’ve ever seen. You guys are loved by the community out there. You guys are very much a part of the community out there.”
Jason admitted that because of his strong ties to Philadelphia, he is “very happy and proud” that the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
“That doesn’t make you less of a brother,” Travis said. Jason added, “No matter who won, it was gonna be happy and sad regardless.”
Travis Kelce Owns His Role in Chiefs Super Bowl Loss: ‘Kicking Myself’
Travis also told Jason that he’s giving “too much of your effort, too much of your time, too much of your attention” to the critics.
“You don’t owe any of these d—heads the acknowledgment. You really don’t, Jason,” he continued. “Everyone that knows you knows your intentions. Anybody saying anything otherwise is, like you said, just a f—ing, just trying to get a rise out of somebody else.”
Jason continued to say that he “didn’t anticipate” the “sheer discomfort” he would feel watching the matchup between the two teams.
“Listen, man, nobody’s going to be able to relate to what you or me or, you know — even Kylie — nobody can relate to what it’s like to have to pick between those two, this type of situation,” Travis said. “You can still be happy for somebody and you can still be sad for somebody.”
He added, “It’s f—ing football, man. I know I’m saying it like that because I just lost the fucking game and I’m going to act like it didn’t mean the entire world. It’s my third in three years. I’ve had so much success playing this game. It still means the world and it always will.”
