What did Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce have to say the incident with Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker?

So much for leaving it on the field. We’re now almost a week removed from the AFC championship game in which the Kansas City Chiefs took down the Baltimore Ravens to book a spot in the Super Bowl. Yet, it appears that there is still some friction between the Chiefs’ star tight end and the Ravens’ kicker.

Travis Kelce fires back at Justin Tucker

You’ve probably already seen video or at least references to the AFC Championship pregame incident which involved Justin Tucker, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce. You’ve also more than likely seen what Tucker himself had to say as well as Mahomes. What you may not have heard was Kelce’s take on the spat, until now. Speaking on the “New Heights” podcast on Wednesday, Kelce weighed in on what happened with Tucker before the Chiefs’ win. Tucker, who typically kicks on the opponent’s side of the field, was just going through his pregame routine when it became apparent that Kelce wasn’t about that life.

“If you want to be a f---ing d--k about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your f---ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up,” Kelce said of the incident on the podcast. “If you’re not going to pick that up, I’ll happily move that for you.” It’s worth noting that Kelce did in fact apologize for his reaction, but was quick to indicate that Tucker had winked at him while warming up on their side of the field. “If you’re going to be a d--k, I promise you I can one-up you every time,” Kelce said.

What did Justin Tucker say in response?

Interestingly, the Ravens’ kicker seemed to have a much more subdued take on what transpired between himself and Kelce and Co., even going as far as to say he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. “I find it kind of silly that we’re even having to address it or talk about something that happened before the game,” Tucker said Monday, via a Ravens transcript. “I think if you see the whole interaction, and then you see us at the coin toss – we’re all dapping each other up and then we just get on with the football game.”

The 34-year-old continued by explaining that he was doing nothing out of the ordinary. “For those who don’t know, the way it works is each team’s kicker goes to the other team’s designated warm-up area on the field – and for me, it’s usually about 90 minutes before kickoff – and I’ve been doing the exact same thing for 12 years, and never really had a problem with anybody. ...But that’s just kind of the way we’ve always done it and the way kickers around the league have always done it.”

So, what happened between Justin Tucker & the Chiefs in the first place?

Both fans at home and in the stadium would have seen that it all came down to Tucker’s helmet. At the time, Patrick Mahomes, who was warming up close by asked Tucker to move his helmet. what triggered the confrontation with Kelce? Mahomes asked Tucker to move his helmet when he was warming up.

“I happily got up and I moved my helmet out of the way – at least I thought it was enough out of the way,” Tucker said. “And then Travis [Kelce] comes over and he just kicks my stuff and he throws my helmet...I thought it was all just some gamesmanship, you know, all in good fun, but they seemed to be taking it a little bit more seriously. “I’m totally willing to let it all go, but I just wanted to explain that that’s just what I have done for 12 years and it’s not like I’m out there trying to be problematic. I’m just out there trying to get ready for the football game, just like they are. And that’s all I’ve really got to say about it, just to be clear.” Ultimately, it sounds like a whole lot of fuss over nothing, but such is the way when the stakes are high. At any rate, Tucker will be watching from home - if at all - when Kelce and the Chiefs take on the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 11th, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Don’t miss it!