Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce Is Right To Be Angry

Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce was ejected from the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Kelce has drawn flak from many on this, but ultimately he was right to be mad.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of the ugliest games of the year Sunday.  The Chiefs were battered coming into this game, and the Jaguars were just bad.  However, all of that has taken a back seat to one of the most outrageous displays of the year from Travis Kelce.  While the tight end is catching flak, the truth is that he is right to be mad.

Late in the game, Travis Kelce went for a touchdown grab in the endzone.  While elevated in the air, also called “defenseless” by NFL rules, Kelce was grabbed from behind and pulled down.  When he saw that no flag was thrown on the play, the star tight end absolutely lost it.  What ensued was one of the most epic player outbursts I remember ever seeing.

Travis Kelce engaged a second ref in argument about the non-call.  As the ref walked away, Kelce gave him the “can’t see me” hand wave, likely accompanied by some less than angelic language.  Apparently that was enough for the ref who threw a flag on Kelce.  When the star tight end realized this, he turned around and threw his own flag/towel on the ref!  That, of course, led to another flag and an ejection.

Right Or Wrong?

Many fans and analysts were quick to jump all over Travis Kelce for his outburst.  Here’s the problem I have with that…Kelce was right to argue that call, AND to be upset with officials.  A still shot of the play, kindly provided by #87 himself, shows that he was absolutely right about this being a missed call.

Now, does that justify his actions?  Yes, actually, I think it does.  This wasn’t arguing a simple hold or an offsides call.  This was a defenseless receiver getting pulled down from behind by his collar.  Isn’t the NFL supposed to be on this whole “player safety” kick?  Well who was looking out for Kelce’s safety on that play?  Certainly not the officials.

Now I know a lot of people expect “professionalism” from NFL players.  However, I don’t see a whole lot of angry tweets when Travis Kelce is dancing in the endzone.  Don’t you want to see some more professionalism then?  Sorry, but you don’t get one without the other.  This young man, and all other players, have the right to demand their health and safety be protected.

Personally, I want to see the league come out and do something about the bad officiating.  I know someone will have a stat that shows everything is just fine, or there are less penalties this year.  Here’s the truth…we all know what we are watching on Sundays.  It’s not good.  Remember when NFL fans stood up for these refs when the league turned to replacements?  Yeah.

Next: Kansas City Chiefs: Rapid Reaction Vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Travis Kelce may not be able to suit up for the Kansas City Chiefs, depending on whether there is a suspension or not.  However, in the long run, I think he did the right thing by standing up to an officiating crew that didn’t do its job.  There has to be a better way.  There needs to be a better way.