Chiefs’ Travis Kelce makes statement after training camp scuffles
31 July 2023
SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — The St. Joseph heat affects a lot of people in the summer during Kansas City Chiefs training camp.
The Chiefs have had several scuffles over the first three days of full pads during training camp. Tight end Travis Kelce was at the center of two of them punching defensive teammates who were fighting for the ball.
On Sunday, wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and cornerback Jaylen Watson got into a scuffle that resulted in Watson getting his helmet knocked off.
Several players and head coach Andy Reid downplayed the skirmishes as just training camp incidents.
“We got new guys and everybody’s competing. I’m okay with chippy,” Reid said. “You got to have an edge and you got to maintain that.”
Kelce expressed publicly that he needed to be a better leader and he told Reid the same after Saturday’s incident.
“He’s one of our team leaders,” Reid said. “I’m just glad that old dude’s got some juice in him.”
Teammates may argue and fight on the field but will come together after the tensions die down.
“I would just say people are competing,” cornerback Joshua Williams said. “Everybody still loves each other at the end of the day.
“When we go in the locker room, we’re hugging and laughing.”
The summer heat and spending a month in college dorms can be hard on NFL players fighting for a spot so scuffles pop up throughout the league during this time of year.
For the Chiefs, its just aggression being showcased in different ways.