Does Chiefs’ Kelce regret trash talk to Cincinnati mayor? Here’s what he said Tuesday
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked Tuesday whether he had any remorse for his comments about the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval following Kansas City’s 23-20 AFC Championship Game victory on Jan. 29.
Kelce — pretty quickly — said no.
“I don’t regret any of that, no. I had a whole lot of fun saying it, actually,” Kelce said with a smile at the Chiefs’ team hotel on Tuesday. “I might say it again if we get a chance to see them in AFC Championship again.”
After the Chiefs’ conference title-game win, Kelce invoked The Rock during KC’s on-field celebration; he responded to Pureval, who earlier had jokingly called for a paternity test to confirm that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ father.
“I’ve got some words for the Cincinnati mayor,” Kelce said as CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz held the microphone that night. “Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!”
Kelce also responded then to Cincinnati cornerback Mike Hilton, who previously had referred to the Chiefs’ home stadium as “Burrowhead.”
“Burrowhead my a--!” Kelce said during the televised interview. “This is Mahomes’ house!”
Kelce, on Tuesday, made sure to reiterate his overall respect for the Bengals — and specifically Burrow.
“Joe Burrow, being an Ohio football guy, I’ve been on his side pumping him up since he’s been in the league, since he’s been in college,” Kelce said. “He handles everything right. He handles the game and the situations the right way.
“You know, if we meet up with the Bengals every single year in the AFC Championship, that’d be a fun, fun ride, man. Because that’s a great team, and I love the challenge of playing that team every time.”
Kelce addressed a wide range of other subjects during his interview time Tuesday. That included him getting asked about his key to Super Bowl week success, with this being his third appearance.
“I feel like the biggest thing is just to take naps,” Kelce said. “You’ve gotta find a way to get rest, both mentally, physically. And I find my little catnaps — little 45-to-an-hour naps throughout the day. It helps me kind of recharge and stay focused on the task at hand.”
How important are they? Kelce said he’d already taken one ahead of the media session Tuesday.
“And it’s not even noon,” he said with a laugh.
Some other broad topics: Kelce was asked if he’d ever consider getting in the ring as a professional wrestler.
“I’m not gonna say no to it. I’ve always enjoyed pro wrestling,” Kelce said. “I’ve always tuned in and had some fun obviously on the mic intimidating. ... We’ll see what happens in the future, but I’m definitely not turning it down.”
He also was asked what he’d want people to remember about him when his football career ends.
“I want my legacy to be one of the best teammates that anybody could ever have, a guy that was accountable and a guy that loved to have fun every single day, was an absolute dog and a baller on Sundays,” Kelce said. “That’s all I care about.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the team went through a padded practice Monday before taking it easier during a run-through Tuesday. Kelce said he enjoyed returning to a game-week ritual ahead of Super Bowl LVII in nearby Glendale, Arizona, where the Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I loved it. It was good to throw the pads on, get back into the routine of things — come off the ball and hit somebody,” Kelce said. “You always want to stay in that mode of keeping the physicality up and making sure you don’t lose that. And I think Coach Reid does it better than anybody on how to gauge that throughout the year.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 3:42 PM.
