‘WELSH EXACTLY LIKE MY KIND OF PEOPLE’ – SAYS NFL STAR
Legend says he was wrong to brand people from Wales as posh during chat with brother over Rees-Zammit’s US move
NFL legend Jason Kelce appears to have changed his mind about Welsh people, whom he had described as “posh, rich, upper class” and “beautiful”.
He made the claim during a chat with brother Travis about Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit joining the Kansas City Chiefs.
The NFL stars both praised ReesZammit for his bravery in making the move, with the older Kelce brother Jason saying: “When I think of Welsh, I think British people call it ‘posh’. I think of these rich, upper class, just beautiful white people. He is the running stereotype of what I would think of with a Welsh person.”
He did admit in the New Heights podcast with brother Travis that he wasn’t sure if the stereotype was “accurate” but he said Rees-Zammit was “helping to continue that trend in my mind”.
When he was challenged on his views on social media, the Philadelphia Eagles centre replied that he had had a change of heart.
Historian Nathen Amin said on X: “I’ve grown to really like Jason Kelce in recent months, he’s such a character, but what’s he on about? Granted, Rees-Zammit is a well-brought-up Vale of Glamorgan boy, but I’m not sure the Welsh are considered posh.”
Jason replied: “Yea, I’ve come to understand, I was very incorrect on this. Based on further assessment since these incorrect statements, not sure why I had these preconceptions in my mind, but I have found that the Welsh seem exactly like my kind of people. Happy to be incredibly wrong.”
Meanwhile, his brother Travis, who is the partner of singer Taylor Swift, has warned the former Wales rugby player that his move to Kansas City will be a “humbling experience”.
The former Wales wing signed a three-year deal with the reigning Super Bowl champions last month after emerging as a standout talent on the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme and attracting interest from more than 12 franchises.
Discussing the ex-Gloucester man’s move with his brother Jason, the tight end said he was relishing playing with the “suave” and “ballsy” Welshman but warned he will be competing against those who have played the sport since childhood.
Rees-Zammit now faces a busy summer of training camps as he competes with fellow rookies to land a place on the Chiefs’ 53-man active roster for the new season.
Travis said: “It’s going to be a humbling experience at first. It’s not easy to just make that jump, they’re two completely different games. He is an athlete and that’s what the Chiefs saw. He’s a smart kid, a smart player. So he’s gonna be able to pick up the offense eventually. But it’s gonna be a tough few months for him here while he’s getting acclimated to the NFL. We’ve been doing this since we were kids, so we’re gonna have those little instincts that we’ve built over the years that he’s got to catch up with.”
Jason said: “I’m excited to see what this guy does. I know it’s gonna be a learning curve, but I hope this guy takes the world by f***ing storm. It will be electric.
“With a smile like that, this guy, if he works out, he’s going to be the most marketable player of all time.”