Chiefs TE Kelce puts his personality on display
Travis Kelce smiles about a lot of things. He keeps interviews entertaining. Put a microphone in his face, and he’ll often deliver a comment that is seen and heard far and wide.
For example, his pro wrestling-style rant right after the Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC Championship. Despite playing his college football at the University of Cincinnati, Kelce fired back at the mayor of the city for a comment he made about Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s previous three wins against Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I’ve got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor. Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!” Kelce shouted into a CBS microphone. Then he hoarsely bellowed the chorus to a famous Beastie Boys song.
Kelce cherishes his time in Cincinnati as a college player and with the comment, didn’t appear to be doing more than defending his good friend Mahomes. It’s just part of an outgoing personality that Kelce can put on public display in part because he has the statistics and accolades to back his comments.
“My parents fueled me and gave me nothing but happiness as a kid, and kind of gave me the freedom to go out there and learn on my own. What that means is I get to do whatever I want,” Kelce said with a smile Wednesday before team practice. “But there was obviously some bumps in the road, but I think my my love for life definitely comes from the happiness that my parents gave me as a kid.”
Much has already been made of Kelce facing his older brother, Jason, in Super Bowl 57. Jason is a veteran offensive lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the two are close enough to host a podcase together that has gotten a boost in listeners recently.
The Kelces’ mother, Donna, is just as popular this week in Phoenix, scoring the first question at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s news conference Wednesday.
Sporting a custom jersey with half of it in Chiefs colors and the other half in Eagles green, she boldly asked if Goodell would appear on her sons’ podcast.
In one episode of the ‘New Heights” podcast, the Kelce brothers discuss a nickname Travis picked up playing pickup basketball: Big Yeti.
“My brother keeps trying to get me to shave ‘Big Yeti’ in my chest so I think there might be an offer on the table for that, we’ll see,” Kelce said, asked if he has a friendly wager with his brother.
“The personality of these guys makes it special, I think. It’s something for our fans to connect with,” Goodell said. “As a group, our players are the most extraordinary young men I’ve ever met. Not just because of their talents on the field but what they do in their communities . ... The more people see who these men are, the better for us as the NFL. They’re why people root for the game, ultimately.”
Kelce’s outlook on football and life might not be so rosy had his career been derailed, or at least delayed, when he was suspended from the Cincinnati program for violation of team rules, later reported as a failed drug test for marijuana use. He thought for a time that football was over for him.
But he returned from that, was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round in 2013, and has become the top tight end in football. Kelce is an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro and caught 12 touchdowns in 2022, the most of his career.
“I got kicked off the team for having a little bit too much fun off the field. And that being said, I just had to refocus. And there were a lot of people that were at the University of Cincinnati that helped me and guided me,” Kelce said. “But the players, the coaches, the staff that was at the university at the time really believed in me to be able to turn things around and do better for myself. And that was huge for me at that time.”
The Bearcats gave Kelce a second chance, and by his senior year he’d earned back his scholarship. Kelce made the school’s dean’s list and matured into believing that he could find happiness in simply going to classes.
That joy has carried over into his long career with the Chiefs, and Mahomes has become like a brother.
“That relationship that we have has kind of translated on the field. And I know what he’s thinking when he’s out there,” Mahomes said.
“He’s one of the greatest if not the greatest tight end of all time. And so for me, it’s finding ways to get him the football. The way that he works to get himself better and better every year, I mean, it’s a special player that hopefully we can keep going for a long time, because you’ll never have another player like him in your career.”