Travis Kelce’s meltdown moment on the sidelines to coach Andy Reid was one of the main distractions from their sensational Super Bowl win last night.
But what infuriated the player and what he said to the Kansas City coach as he manhandled him and sent him off balance was unlcear.
Now DailyMail.com can reveal that the tight end shouted, ‘Keep me in. You f****r! I’m calm now!’ – after lip readers decoded the pair’s viral exchange.
Kelce, 34, erupted in anger during Sunday’s match after his teammates fumbled a pass made by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He then body slammed Reid, causing him to momentarily lose his balance, grabbed his arm and began shouting at him – as his pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from the $1million family suite at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
His teammate Jerrod McKinnon pulled Kelce away from the 65-year-old coach, ending the heated altercation.
Kelce, refusing to discuss the incident in detail, said in the aftermath of the team’s victory that his rage was down to the fact that he ‘wanted the score to be different’ and that Reid is ‘one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life.’
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Lip readers have revealed to MailOnline the choice words that Travis Kelce shouted at Kansas City coach Andy Reid during his shocking Super Bowl meltdown last night
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Kelce, 34, erupted in anger during Sunday’s match after his teammates fumbled a pass. The tight end then body slammed his 65-year-old coach, causing him to momentarily lose his balance, grabbed his arm and began shouting at him
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Kelce’s pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift , accompanied by her friends Ice Spice and Blake Lively, watched the match from the $1million family suite at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
Kelce was apparently unhappy about not being on the field when Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball with the Chiefs eight yards out looking for their first touchdown.
Approaching from the side, cameras caught Kelce storming towards Reid and bumping into him, causing him to temporarily lose his footing. The pair’s interaction set off a social media firestorm as viewers speculated about what was said.
But Kelce, speaking to reporters after the Chiefs’ dramatic 25-22 win, refused to share. He said: ‘You guys saw that?
‘I’m going to keep it between us unless my mic’d up tells the world. I was just telling him how much I loved him.’
Although he didn’t publicly apologize for the altercation, Kelce had nothing but praise for his long-term coach and dedicated their Super Bowl comeback win to him after the game.
He told ESPN SportsCenter after the win: ‘Man, I was fired up — I was fired up that we weren’t hitting on all cylinders.
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Kelce walks past coach Reid after screaming in his face during the Super Bowl first half
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Kelce was pulled away from coach Reid by a teammate during a tough start to the big game
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Kelce also argued with San Francisco 49ers opponents during a feisty first half in Vegas
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In a bid to calm down, Kelce sits on the Chiefs bench with the team 10-3 down in the big game
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Although he didn’t publicly apologize for the altercation, Kelce had nothing but praise for his long-term coach and dedicated their Super Bowl comeback win to him after the game. The tight end is pictured celebrating the win
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates the team’s comeback Super Bowl win as Travis Kelce cheers behind him
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The Kansas City Chiefs became the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners in 19 years. Kelce is pictured celebrating with his trophy after the team’s overtime win
‘I had to give ‘Big Red’ a love tap and let him know that we were all here fighting for him no matter what. I just had to tell him I loved him real quick.
‘I put so much trust in him and how he goes about being a head coach, as a leader — he’s one of the best leaders in the game. I can’t thank him enough for giving me opportunities year in, year out. This third one, this second one back-to-back, this one’s for him, no doubt.’
Kelce added: ‘I’ve got the greatest coach this game has ever seen.
‘And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get and just love him.’
Reid also played down the altercation, claiming that Kelce just wanted to be on the field.
‘He just wants to be on the field and he wants to play. There’s nobody I get better than I get him. He’s a competitive kid, and he loves to play. He makes me feel young.’
‘He caught me off balance. I wasn’t watching. 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.’
‘The part I love is he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win. It’s not a selfish thing. That’s not what it is. I understand that. As much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off balance.’
Reid, recalling the incident to ESPN, also revealed: ‘He came over and gave me a hug, said ‘Sorry about that’.
The Super Bowl was not the first time that Kelce was seen suffering an on-field meltdown.
On Christmas Day, he had another tete-a-tete with coach Reid, and was spotted slamming his helmet to the floor during a 20-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. When a staff member tried to hand it back to the tight end so that he could take the field, Reid grabbed the helmet and refused to give it back.
Regardless of the actual reasons for the tiff, social media reacted with hilarity, comparing the spat to sandwich orders, anger over a potential remake of the 1990s hit movie Twister and a debate of the best T. Swift era.
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The picture that inspired a thousand memes as Travis Kelce lambasts his coach, Andy Reid
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The memes came thick-and-fast after the incident aired live during the big game
With the notable exception of his furious sideline outburst at Reid, the only peep Kelce made over the first two quarters was a single catch on a single target for a single yard.
Then the man known to many as Mr. Taylor Swift started making noise. It wasn’t overwhelming production — nine catches for 93 yards — but for the Chiefs and one of their emotional leaders, it helped change momentum.
The San Francisco 49ers defense that had stifled Kansas City in the first half suddenly became vulnerable, the relentless pass rush of Nick Bosa and Chase Young slowed down somewhat, and the breaks that had been going against the Chiefs suddenly went in their favor.
By the end of regulation, Kelce was making a ruckus, barreling over 49ers defenders to set up the Chiefs’ game-tying field goal and force overtime, where he picked up a key first down deep in 49ers territory.
That play – a gritty seven-yard gain down to 3-yard line – would set up Patrick Mahomes’ game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. And with the 25-22 victory in hand, Kelce and the Chiefs were champions for the third time in five years.
During the game, Kelce had his entire family in a VIP suite that he personally paid over $1million for – with the most notable guest, Swift, flying all the way from Tokyo for the game.
Swift was performing a fourth Eras Tour show in Japan on Saturday night, where she then hot-footed it straight to a private jet at the airport to get back to America.
She then spent Saturday night at her home in LA, before boarding another jet to Vegas in time for the big game on Sunday afternoon.
Travis’ brother Jason was also present with his wife Kelce, while their mom Donna and dad Ed were also both there.
Swift’s parents Scott and Andrea joined the group in the box, while Taylor brought some friends too – including Blake Lively and Ice Spice.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also made an appearance in the box before the game, and was spotted deep in conversation with Swift.
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Ice Spice, Ashley Avignone, Jason Kelce (center, second row) , Taylor Swift and Blake Lively are seen durign Super Bowl LIII. Donna Kelce, meanwhile, is seated next to her son Jason
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Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift is seen biting her nails during the fourth quarter of the incredibly close Super Bowl match between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers
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Patrick Mahomes found Mecole Hardman open for a touchdown in OT to win a third Super Bowl in five seasons for the Chiefs
