When Travis Kelce expressed regret after shoving Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy on the sidelines: "Sometimes you get a little heated"
Travis Kelce will go down as one of the best receiving tight ends to ever play the game. A lot of that he can thank former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for, as the offensive coordinator's play-calling allowed Kelce to become one of Patrick Mahomes' favorite targets in clutch situations.
In October 2019, though, Kelce and Bieniemy had an altercation on the sidelines during a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The tight end was unable to make a catch and then returned to the sidelines, where he was seen pushing Bieniemy.
Days later, Kelce denied that there were any hard feelings with Bieniemy when speaking to reporters. He doubled down on the great relationship he had with his then-offensive coordinator. He also credited Bieniemy with everything he had done for him.
"We're good. Me and Coach Bieniemy have a very close relationship. I love him. He's helped me out tremendously as a person, as a professional, and I'm sure he'll keep doing that throughout the rest of my career. ... I love the guy. That will never change. I appreciate him being on my tail to get me going," Kelce said in 2019.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end brushed off the altercation and insisted that it's just part of football.
"As far as what happened on the sideline, sometimes in football you get a little heated with your brothers or your coaches," he said.
Travis Kelce vouched for Eric Bieniemy for head coaching role
After the 2022 NFL season, Bieniemy left the Kansas City Chiefs after the team decided not to re-sign him. Bieniemy signed a two-year deal with the Washington Commanders as the offensive coordinator. After just one season, the Commanders fired Ron Rivera.
Kelce vouched for Bieniemy and suggested the Washington Commanders have him as their new head coach. On a January 2024 episode of his "New Heights" podcast, the Chiefs tight end said:
"Man, let's f---king go, man. The Washington Fighting Bieniemys, man. Give my guy a chance, man. I think they should hire him. I mean, give my guy a chance. I think he proved that he can kind of come out from under the helm of coach [Andy] Reid. I know EB. He gets the best out of everybody. He's one of the best coaches I've ever had. I think the Commanders should give him a chance."
The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as their next head coach. Bieniemy wasn't retained in Quinn's coaching staff and moved to the UCLA Bruins in February 2024 as offensive coordinator and associate head coach.