Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end Travis Kelce has taken responsibility for a brief fight with a teammate at Saturday’s practice.
After catching a touchdown pass, a fired up Kelce punched teammate Jack Cochrane in the head after the latter made brief contact with him.
Following the practice, the two-time Super Bowl champion owned up to it and tweeted that he needs to “be a better teammate” and leader.
Of course, this is far from the only instance of NFL teammates fighting in practice. It happens every-so-often, but good on Kelce for owning up to it.
It’s certainly out of character for Kelce. You almost never see him get heated with opponents, let alone with his own teammates. But his tweet certainly indicates that he’s apologetic and wanting to put it behind him.
The 24-year-old Cochrane was a standout linebacker at South Dakota who joined the Chiefs as a undrafted free agent. The 6-foot-3 Cochrane appeared in 15 games for the Chiefs, finishing with nine combined tackles. Kansas City went on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57.
Kansas City will open preseason play on the road against the New Orleans Saints in two weeks. They’ll kick off their Super Bowl championship defense on Sept. 10 in the annual Kickoff Game against the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs are looking to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the 2004 New England Patriots.
A furious Travis Kelce shoved his own Chiefs teammate after a late hit on Kadarius Toney at training camp.
Toney caught a ball from Patrick Mahomes and evaded a couple of defenders after the catch before he was laid out by George Karlaftis.
The receiver fell to the ground and a small fracas ensued as Toney threw the ball back at Karlaftis, while Mahomes jogged over to where the play ended and appeared to say something.
Kelce certainly escalated matters, though, as he bumped Karlaftis in the helmet before shoving the 23-year-old. Others stepped in to separate the pair before things got any messier.
A source previously PEOPLE how hard it was for Kelce to leave girlfriend Taylor Swift in Europe while he headed back Stateside.
Travis Kelce (right) confronted teammate George Karlaftis after a late hit on Kadarius Toney
Kelce, 34, spent much of the summer working while travelling around Europe to follow girlfriend Taylor Swift, also 34, and her Eras Tour with family and friends.
‘Travis’ last few concerts were bittersweet,’ the insider shared of Kelce’s trip to Germany.
‘They knew their time together like this was coming to an end and he made sure to spend every minute he could with Taylor.’
It’s not the first time that Kelce has been in a physical altercation at Chiefs training camp, as he punched teammate Jack Cochrane during a practice drill last year.
That episode also stemmed from a late hit, as Cochrane unsuccessfully tried to punch the ball loose after Kelce caught a touchdown.
He apologized later on X, writing, ‘Gotta be a better teammate gotta be a better leader… plain and simple.
George Karlaftis and a guest are seen at the 2024 ESPY Awards on July 11 in Hollywood, CA
The incident started after Kadarius Toney was laid out by Karlaftis after making a catch
It’s not the first time that Kelce has been in a physical altercation at Chiefs training camp
While their demanding schedules often force Swift and Kelce to be in different cities, the pair takes any opportunity they can to be with each other between concerts and games.
‘It’s definitely tough to be apart but they do everything they can to make it work and show up for each other,’ the source told PEOPLE.
‘They’re so in love and very, very happy together. All their friends and family can see it.’
Nonetheless, Kelce – who also spent his offseason shooting Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity and Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series Grotesquerie – is ‘back in football mode,’ says another insider.
‘His team and the Chiefs remain a top priority,’ the source added as they gear up for a threepeat.
