Covering football games as a team physician for the last 47 years, I have witnessed many disturbing moments. Watching Travis Kelce bump Coach Reid irked me. I have been thinking about this moment ever since the game.
To add to the insult of that event, from a prior playoff game, they also replayed Kelce tossing his helmet in disgust.
I read the news reports after the game. The excuse was that Kelce is a dedicated player who became overwhelmed by the heat of the battle. He was so involved in the game, that he lost control. The coach Andy Reid essentially defended his action.
No one apologized, nor said that these antics are inappropriate.
What kind of example is this for a global population of football players?
I don’t care what level of sports you are in. This kind of behavior is inexcusable.
Being disrespectful to a coach cannot be tolerated. Certainly, athletes can discuss and argue with their coaches about plays, strategies, etc.
However, there should be zero tolerance for this kind of disrespect. What message does this send to every high school athlete? Is it OK to walk up to a coach’s face, scream, yell, and lay hands on them? Obviously not.
To me, the major value of team sports is to obtain self-respect and respect for authority. It doesn’t matter if you are the greatest athlete that ever lived. Losing control is never excusable.
Equanimity under pressure defines greatness. (There is no better example than Mohomes).
There are many legendary athletes. What makes them legends has been their coolness under pressure. What we witnessed at the Super Bowl was disgraceful.
Coach Reid, in the heat of battle, missed the opportunity to demonstrate to all athletes that this sort of behavior is not acceptable.
Kelce should have been grounded from playing for the rest of the first half.
In the privacy of the locker room, they could have had a discussion to resolve the issue. After the game Kelce should have apologized, not only to the coach but to the public. The same is true…
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