There have long been people who try to get reactions out of celebrities or political figures by yelling provocative comments at them while filming. But that seems to be becoming even more common recently. And that sometimes extends to sports figures. The latest example came around ESPN’s Jason Kelce.
This happened at the Ohio State-Penn State game Saturday, where Kelce appeared on College GameDay (including unsuccessful participation in a kicking contest) and then was walking towards the stadium. Video appears to show a number of fans yelling different things at him, with some of those being just requests for a fist-bump. But one fan tossed out a homophobic slur toward Jason’s younger brother Travis in regard to Travis’ relationship with music star Taylor Swift, and Kelce seemed to respond by throwing the fan’s phone down:
“Kelce how does it feel that your brother is a f****t for dating Taylor Swift?”
Jason Kelce proceeded to slam this kids phone on the ground.
Looked like a Penn State student was getting in Kelce’s face for no reason. Wild scene in State College pic.twitter.com/3PEdZXWhSg
— Chives (@jarrett_daveler) November 2, 2024
Update: Here’s a better angle of the interaction.
W Jason pic.twitter.com/DxP7QSxCBp
— Kyle (@kylesixers) November 2, 2024
Kelce’s actions here got a lot of support on social media:
Kid probably spun this positively. “Jason Kelce smashed my phone.” Generation of clout chasers. Wish there were more serious repercussions for violating but alas… an assault charge can ruin your weekend. https://t.co/DpRQs0Sxvv
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) November 2, 2024
Can’t blame Jason Kelce here… what a loser pic.twitter.com/KTnCA4WjZI
— Tobey Prime (@tobey_prime) November 2, 2024
I love this.
Jason Kelce just took a stand for normal men against the “idiots who have become way too comfortable saying ridiculous shit to people who can actually kick their ass” crowd.
Good for him.— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) November 2, 2024
Jason Kelce smashes the phone of some homophobic loser to bits after he decided to talk s**t on his brother and Taylor Swift right in front of him.
What an icon.pic.twitter.com/HMKRP2iYLB
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) November 2, 2024
It’s remarkable to see someone not only accost Kelce this boldly, but do so with a homophobic slur about his brother. And this adds to some of the discussions we’ve seen about harassment of active athletes, including in the WNBA, where that’s been an issue both in-person and online.
[@jarrett_daveler on X]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.