Chargers player who slapped Travis Kelce seems to have no regrets about decision
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Teair Tart slapped Travis Kelce during an NFL game, drawing a penalty flag.
- NFL rules differ on ejection criteria for slaps versus punches to the helmet.
- Tart posted a Swift-themed Instagram meme, signaling no public remorse.
Punching an NFL player in the helmet with a closed fist is probably going to be less effective than an open-handed slap to the facemask.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sure seemed to feel that hit from the Chargers’ Teair Tart during Friday night’s NFL game in Brazil. L.A.’s Tart was not ejected for the infraction, but did draw a flag.
Rules analyst Terry McAulay explained that Tart would have been tossed from the game if he had punched Kelce, rather than slapped him. However, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio believes the NFL rulebook didn’t support that explanation, yet Tart remained in the game.
That judgment is something other NFL players should keep in mind going forward, because you can deliver a blow like that and are guaranteed to remain in the game.
And, as play-by-play broadcaster Rich Eisen noted, Tair used that hand to deflect a couple of Patrick Mahomes’ passes, including a potential game-tying two-point conversion.
Tart probably will be fined by the NFL later this week, but over the weekend he leaned into his role in the incident. In an Instagram post, he made a not-too-subtle reference to Kelce’s girlfriend, superstar singer Taylor Swift.
“I’m too swift with it even in Brazil…” Tart wrote, and included a clip of a face-slapping from the movie, “How High.”
That doesn’t seem to be a message from someone who is feeling remorse, right?
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 10:27 AM.
