"Not a weenie anymore" - Travis Kelce tracks back on his diss of Cincinnati mayor
Travis Kelce played a phenomenal game against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend as the Kansas City Chiefs overcame their opposition in the AFC Championship game. He battled the Bengals defense with a back injury to lift the Lamar Hunt Trophy.
However, much of his ire after the game was not aimed at players on the field but a character off it. Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval had put out a widely panned video before the game that had him all riled up. After the game, Kelce made it a point to call Pureval out, calling him a 'jabroni'.
Speaking with his brother Jason Kelce on the New Heights podcast, he was made aware by his brother that the mayor had responded to his speech after the game. In fact, he gave credit to Travis Kelce and wished him the best for the Super Bowl.
Yeah. Deserved that.
Congrats to KC on a well-fought win, and good luck in Arizona.
Proud of our fans and our @bengals for the energy all year.
Who Dey! twitter.com/cincyproblems/…
That was news to the Chiefs tight endm and he was quick to return the compliment. In response, he said:
"Well, now I respect him. He can have fun. Good sport. Good sport. I appreciate. You're not a weenie anymore. I take it all back. I take it all back."
Cincinnati mayor's beef with Travis Kelce and Chiefs
The whole thing started after Aftab Pureval put out a video before the game with an "official proclamation" from the mayor's desk before the Cincinnati Bengals took on the Kansas City Chiefs.
He made references to Arrowhead Stadium as Burrowhead after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. He additionally mentioned that Joe Burrow had beaten Patrick Mahomes in all three previous meetings and recommended a paternity test for the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback.
While he did not take a shot at Travis Kelce directly, the tenor of the whole proclamation was needling, and it certainly seemed to have hit its mark. However, as the tight end explained on his podcast, it was ammunition for the Chiefs and provided them with an additional chip on the shoulder.
Kelce took particular issue with the loudest stadium in the world, an honor that belongs to Arrowhead, being mocked up as some fiefdom by the opposing quarterback.
Now, though, it seems that the relationship will have thawed after both the Chiefs player and the mayor have had their say. It might even make Pureval more careful in the future lest he unwittingly provide the opposition with the motivation needed to beat the team he supports.