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REVEALED: Why the audio of Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl meltdown at Chiefs coach Andy Reid may have been blocked from being aired
Travis Kelce was captured screaming at Andy Reid during the Super Bowl
The tight end had been mic’d up for the game but his audio didn’t make it to air
The audio of Travis Kelce’s explosive outburst at his Chiefs coach Andy Reid in the Super Bowl may have been blocked from making it to television by the franchise in an effort to spare their star humiliation.
The tight end sparked backlash when he shockingly stormed up to his head coach on the sidelines during the second quarter of the Super Bowl, shoved Reid and screamed in his face.
Kelce was mic’d up for the Super Bowl, meaning his astonishing moment of madness was recorded but his blushes were spared when Inside the NFL, which was released the Tuesday following the big game, failed to show the snippet.
The long-running program, which airs on the CW, instead ran the audio of CBS color commentator Tony Romo saying that Kelce told Reid to ‘keep me in’ the game, and then cut to analysis from former players Channing Crowder, Chris Long and Ryan Clark.
Two sports media business insiders have now attempted to shine light on the clip’s mysterious absence.
Audio recording of Travis Kelce screaming at Andy Reid was not played on Inside The NFL
Kelce exploded in fury after the Chiefs lost a chance for their first touchdown of the game
Kelce’s explosion of fury emerged with girlfriend Taylor Swift cheering him on in the stands
They told the New York Post that they suspected the Chiefs blocked the network from airing Kelce’s audio from the heated moment with one even going so far as to claim the direction came from Reid himself.
A spokesperson for Inside the NFL declined to comment. DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for the Chiefs for comment.
Another source told the outlet that NFL Films crews joke that there is a vault that contains sensitive content from over the years that has never made it to air.
NFL Films is owned by the league and the 32 franchises are believed to have veto power, including having a final say over what content makes it into HBO’s Hard Knocks series.
Kelce was left out of a play with the Chiefs in range of their first touchdown on the night but the move broke down with Isiah Pacheco fumbling against the 49ers. They showed Kelce slamming his helmet to the ground in reaction on the sidelines before screaming at Reid, a 65-year-old grandfather, but analysts spoke over the footage and then showed a clip of them fist-bumping soon after.
It could have been the enduring image of the game if Kelce and the Chiefs had lost. Instead, Kelce’s fairytale season reached a fresh high as he became a Super Bowl champion for the third time with girlfriend Taylor Swift cheering him on from the stands.
The 34-year-old Kelce, who stands at 6ft 5′ and weighs 250 pounds, refused to reveal what he shouted in Reid’s face but admitted following the Super Bowl that his mic could give him away.
‘Ah, you guys saw that? I’m gonna keep it between us unless my mic’d up tells the world,’ he said in the immediate aftermath of his Vegas victory. ‘I was just telling him how much I love him.’
One source claimed to The Post that Reid gave the direction to block the audio from airing
Kelce cheers as coach Reid addresses the crowd in Vegas after the Chiefs beat the 49ers
But it appears the Chiefs star will not have to face that reality with the show brushing over the incident.
Reid, for his part, was keen to downplay the situation after the game, joking that Kelce ‘keeps him young.’
He added: ‘He tested that hip out. He caught me off balance – normally, I’d give him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.
‘He was really coming over [and saying], ‘Just put me in, I’ll score. I’ll score.’ So, that’s really what it was. I love that. It’s not the first time. I appreciate him.’
But Reid’s comments beg the question as to why the audio did not come out if that was all he said.
It is not the first time Kelce appeared to get close to physical with Reid. When the Chiefs lost on Christmas Day to the Las Vegas Raiders, Kelce slammed his helmet to the ground and barged Reid with his shoulder as the Chiefs fell to a shock loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kelce admitted after the game that being mic’d up could reveal what he shouted at Reid
After the game, Kelce was eager to outline the influence Reid has had on his career
Speaking to reporters after leaving the Allegiant Stadium field, a more composed Kelce made sure to underline the influence Reid has had on his career.
‘I got the greatest coach this game has ever seen,’ Kelce said. ‘He’s unbelievable at not only dialing up plays and having everybody prepared, but he’s one of the best leaders of men that I’ve ever seen in my life.’
‘And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion,’ he continued.
‘And I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to control how emotional I get and I just love him, man.’