Jason Kelce apologizes for Ohio State-Penn State cell phone incident before Bucs-Chiefs game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce apologized Monday night on ESPN’s pregame show after grabbing an unruly fan’s phone and slamming it to the ground before the Ohio State-Penn State game last weekend.

“In a heated moment, I decided to greet hate with hate,” Kelce said before ESPN’s broadcast of the Buccaneers-Chiefs game with his brother, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. “I came up short this week.”

Jason Kelce was at the Big Ten game between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania, when the incident occurred. Video on social media showed him walking through a crowd near Beaver Stadium and fans asking for pictures and punches when a fan started heckling him.

That’s when Kelce grabbed the fan’s phone and threw it to the ground, before turning around to confront the man, dressed in Penn State gear. Another fan appeared to step between them before the altercation could escalate.

“I think everyone on social media saw what happened this week,” Kelce said on the ESPN broadcast. “Listen, I’m not happy with what happened. I’m not proud of it. In a heated moment I chose to greet hate with hate and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing, really. I don’t think this will lead to any discussion and that it is the right way to go about things. At that point I dropped to a level I shouldn’t have.

“The bottom line is I try to live my life by the golden rule, that’s what I’ve always been taught,” he said. “I try to treat people with common decency and respect, and I will continue to do that in the future.”

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