Jason Kelce apologizes for cell phone incident at Ohio State-Penn State

Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce apologized during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” pregame show for grabbing an unruly fan’s phone and throwing it to the ground before Saturday’s Ohio State-Penn State game.

“In a heated moment, I decided to meet hate with hate,” Kelce said before ESPN’s broadcast of the Buccaneers-Chiefs game with his brother, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. “I didn’t make it this week.”

Jason Kelce was attending the Big Ten game between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania, when the incident occurred.

Video on social media showed Kelce walking through a crowd near Beaver Stadium with fans asking for photos and punches when a fan began harassing him and shouting an anti-gay slur against his brother.

At that point, Kelce grabbed the fan’s phone, threw it on the ground and then turned to confront the man in Penn State gear. Kelce appeared to use the same anti-gay slur during the exchange before another fan stepped between them before the argument could escalate.

“I think everyone saw on social media what happened this week,” Kelce said on the ESPN broadcast. “Look, I’m not happy with anything that happened. I’m not proud of it. In a heated moment I decided to answer hate with hate and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing to do, I really don’t think that it is.” t. I don’t think it creates a discourse and that it is the right way to do things. In that moment I fell to a level I shouldn’t have.

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

Kelce retired from the Eagles earlier this year and is in his first season as an analyst for ESPN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.