Skip Bayless makes Andy Reid 'sold coaching soul' claim after Travis Kelce row
NFL analyst Skip Bayless has accused Andy Reid of 'selling his coaching soul' by forgiving Travis Kelce's 'unacceptable' behaviour during Super Bowl LVIII.
One of the most talked-about moments was when Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce stormed over to his coach and bumped into him before shouting in his face. This came after a poor first half performance from the 34-year-old and his team, with Kelce's anger boiling over after he was taken off for a play.
His girlfriend, Taylor Swift, watched the drama unfold from a VIP box at Allegiant Stadium. Kelce lost his cool when teammate Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball, causing the Chiefs to miss an opportunity to level the game in the second quarter. Despite this, it was clear that Kelce and Reid had not let the incident affect their relationship.
The Kansas City team managed to turn things around in the second half, with Kelce putting in a stellar performance and earning his third Super Bowl ring. Reid, showing loyalty to his player, reportedly stepped in to prevent audio of the argument from being released, according to the New York Post.
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Kelce later apologised to Reid, admitting his behaviour was 'unacceptable'. However, the KC coach's forgiveness towards his player after winning another Super Bowl has been questioned by analyst Bayless, who took to X to assert that he thinks the Chiefs' head coach let go of his principles to win in Vegas.
The "Undisputed" host was not happy and said: "Good story in the NY Post by Ryan Glasspiegel shows the Chiefs kept NFL Films audio of Travis Kelce being mean to Andy Reid from being heard. No shock. Kelce was mean with words and actions. No punishment. Andy gave up his coaching honesty for that SBowl."
But it seems like the both parties involved in the argument didn't really mind what happened during their game against the San Francisco 49ers. Talking about when Kelce grabbed his arm and made him almost trip, he said: "He caught me off balance. I wasn't watching."
"He was really coming over [and saying], 'Just put me in, I'll score. I'll score'. So, that's really what it was. I love that," he added, showing the diplomacy that has aided him in becoming one of the NFL's most storied coaches. "It's not the first time. I appreciate him.
"The part I love is he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win. It's not a selfish thing. That's not what it is. I understand that. As much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off balance."
Kelce, meanwhile, explained his side after the game as he explained: "I didn't care about my catches. I just wanted to... I wanted the score to be different. Coach has asked us to speak our minds and I just wanted to let him know how much passion I had for this team."
He also praised his coach, adding: "He's one of the best leaders of men I've ever seen in my life. And he's helped me a lot with that, with channelling that emotion, with channelling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get and just love him."