Travis Kelce was quick to jump in when a fight broke out between his teammates at Chiefs training camp.
The squabble, between offensive lineman Josh Simmons and defensive end Ashton Gillotte, was caught on camera by KCTV5 reporter Mark Poulose on Tuesday, July 29, and the footage shows Kelce, 35, helping to break up the fight.
Gillotte, 22, appeared to be forcefully holding Simmons’ jersey during the play. When Simmons, also 22, attempted to shake his opponent off of him, Gillotte lunged forward a bit and Simmons threw a punch.
A few more jabs were thrown from both players before their teammates, including Kelce, stepped in to break up the fight. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid could also be seen in the clip with his hands on his hips, appearing disappointed by the scuffle between his players.
Kelce’s quickness to break up the fight during training camp seems to align with his goals for the upcoming NFL season, which may be his last.
After the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in February, Kelce said on his podcast New Heights that he felt like he “wasn’t the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm, cool, collected.”
“I put a lot of that on myself as the guy that’s been in the building for 12 years and seen a lot of football and actually seen a situation just like this in the Super Bowl,” he added.
And speaking to media in June, the tight end said he felt like he “failed” last year, and “especially in that last game, in being a leader.”
In the lead up to this season, Kelce has been focused on getting faster, telling reporters in May that he dropped 25 lbs.
Reid, who said he wishes Kelce could play for him “forever” recently, praised Kelce’s offseason work ethic during a July 24 press conference in Kansas City. “He’s svelte right now,” said Reid, 67. “He looks like he’s 20. He’s doing a great job. He’s in great shape…You can see he’s been working out. You saw him yesterday on the long run where he had the burst. He’s done a nice job.”
