Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Wednesday expressed regret over shoving offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in a sideline confrontation during Sunday night’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
The incident occurred early in the Chiefs’ 19-13 loss. Kelce and Bieniemy ultimately were separated by Chiefs players following the shove.
Kelce made it clear Wednesday that he has nothing but respect for Bieniemy, adding that he regrettably allowed his emotions to get the best of him.
“We’re good,” Kelce said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “Me and Coach Bieniemy have a very close relationship. I love him. He’s helped me out tremendously as a person, as a professional and I’m sure he’ll keep doing that throughout the rest of my career. … I love the guy. That will never change. I appreciate him being on my tail to get me going.
“As far as what happened on the sideline, sometimes in football you get a little heated with your brothers or your coaches.”
Subsequent footage shown during NBC’s telecast of “Sunday Night Football” showed Kelce and Bieniemy sharing a hug on the sideline.
“He’s like a father figure, in terms of being there for me on the field,” Kelce added Wednesday. “We’re wired a little bit the same when it comes to our competitive edge. … It’s something immediately I regretted and I just wanted to make it good and let him know that, ‘You know what? I’m ready to rock and roll for you.'”
Kelce, known throughout his career for having a temper, is correct in saying things can get pretty heated on the sideline during a game, but he is well aware of the fact that shoving a coach crosses the line.
That said, it appears Kelce and Bieniemy have put the incident behind them and presumably will continue to enjoy a solid player-coach relationship.
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