Patrick Mahomes Supports Travis Kelce After Practice Scuffle: ‘Love the Fire’

5 months ago | 5 Views

During an offseason practice in the 2023–24 season, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce struck teammate Jack Cochrane. Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback, spoke out about the incident at the time and appeared to defend Kelce's conduct.

What started the fight?

The incident took place two years ago during an offseason Chiefs practice. Second-year linebacker Cochrane tried to punch the ball from the tight end after Kelce caught a touchdown pass from Mahomes, but the attempt was not well received. In a video that became popular at the time, viewers could see Kelce approach and hit Cochrane's helmet in response to the film, causing the two to engage in a fight until cornerback Trent McDuffie intervened.

Kelce later apologized for the incident in a social media post which read, “Gotta be a better teammate gotta be a better leader… plain and simple”.

Mahomes’s statement

After the incident became viral at the time, Mahomes issued a public statement in which he defended Kelce's strike and dispelled any doubts that the team was becoming complacent during a period when they were on course to win their third Super Bowl in four years.

"We all have it, I believe." Even though there are many very competitive guys out here, it's all about doing it the right way. He stated, "You love the fire on both sides of the ball," even if the way you want to do it is not necessarily the way Trav (Travis Kelce) punched the guy.

He also said, "We're trying to finish to the last second, but that's just the kind of guys we are." We have a lot of guys on this club that are very competitive, and we're going to fight, argue on the football field, and then hug in the locker room.

The Chiefs would go on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers that year and win their second Super Bowl championship in a row.

The Chiefs' present situation

In Super Bowl 59 the following year, the Philadelphia Eagles prevented the team from winning its third straight game. After a dismal performance last year, 10-time Pro Bowler Kelce will be entering his 13th NFL season. Cochrane continued his career with the red and gold in April when the 26-year-old agreed to a one-year contract extension for $2.1 million.

In the next season, the club will seek to win a fourth visit to the Super Bowl.