Travis Kelce offered a full reaction to his brother Jason, who broke a football fan’s phone and repeated a homophobic slur to protect his brother after a Taylor Swift barb quickly gained steam. Travis backed his brother through the fallout, stressing the importance of protecting his family.

The streets of State College, PA, were packed with loud energy and passion as ESPN’s College GameDay crew arrived for the Ohio State vs. Penn State rivalry matchup on Saturday, one of the most intense in college sports. As the beloved retired Philadelphia Eagles center strolled through the campus in a pair of work boots, what began as a spirited fan interaction took an explosive turn.

As the crowd primarily shouted and begged for Jason’s attention out of apparent pure fandom, a heckler aimed a slur at Kelce’s brother Travis and his relationship with Swift, triggering a reaction. Cameras showed Jason’s passionate response as he grabbed the fan’s phone and smashed it, later admitting that he, in anger, repeated the slur.

Jason later apologized and was not punished by the sports TV network. He instantly expressed regret for his actions and choice of words, leading to the incident gaining steam online. On the newest episodes of the brother’s New Heights podcast, Travis supported his brother’s actions and highlighted Jason’s choice to apologize. “I know it’s weighing on you, brother. It sucks,” said Travis.

Travis then went into pressures and challenges faced by athletes and celebrities like his famous girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in public. “You shouldn’t feel this much, obviously the scrutiny and the media view on it and people passing around the videos that are out there.”

“The real situation is that you had some ——- clown come up to you and talk about your family. You reacted in a way that was defending your family, and you might have used some words that you regret using,” he continued.

Jason Kelce clashed with a fan

Jason Kelce clashed with a fan after the latter used a homophobic slur about his brother, Travis Kelce ( 

Image:

@jarrett_daveler)

“That’s a situation you’ve just got to learn from and own, and I think you owning it and speaking about it shows how sincere you are to people in this world and shows what you said on Monday night. You don’t choose hate. That’s just not who you are. I love you, brother. I think you said that perfectly.”

While the Kelce brothers each gave their take on the incident, and football fans generally deemed the infraction minuscule, Penn State University police continued to investigate. The open case [#:24UP03821] stems from criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after an officer reportedly watched Jason smash the phone after kickoff.

Jason Kelce retired from the NFL last year after his 13 seasons, all with the Eagles. He won Super Bowl LII with the organization, received six NFL-All Pro nods, and made seven Pro Bowl selections.