On Saturday, December 13, the NFL announced their punishment decision on Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs for something Kelce did after the team’s 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, December 7.
As for what Kelce did that would warrant a punishment, following the loss to the Texans, the tight end declined interview requests, according to a report from Jesse Newell of The Athletic. That’s a violation of the NFL’s rules.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, “All players (except those in the concussion protocol) are required by the NFL to speak to reporters after every game.” Plus, Florio says it’s happened before. “It’s not the first time Kelce has declined to talk this year, either after a game or during the week,” he noted, adding that “all players must be available once during the days preceding each game, at a podium or in the locker room.”
So, turning down interviews after multiple games would put Kelce in the hot seat with the NFL even more, because it wasn’t a one-time violation. Now, the NFL has made its decision on what they’re doing about Kelce’s actions.
NFL Announces Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce Decision
It’s Kelce’s lucky day, because on Saturday, December 13, the NFL handed out a handful of punishments for players who broke the rules in Week 14, and Kelce wasn’t on the tally. So, the soon-to-be-husband of Taylor Swift got off clean.
No Kansas City Chiefs players were punished for incidents against the Texans, and Houston also didn’t get any discipline from the league. So, call it a clean game.
While Kelce didn’t talk to the media after the loss, the 36-year-old did open up about his frustration over the defeat on his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason.
Travis Kelce Discusses Kansas City Chiefs’ Loss to Houston Texans
“You put in all this … work and hope that it pays off,” he said on the podcast. “And right now, it’s just for whatever … reason, man, it’s little things. I feel like I’ve always had the answers in years past. And this year, I just can’t find them.”
He added, “I keep thinking if I show up to work and I put in the work and I fix the issues through my practice habits and through perfecting the game plan and my fundamentals and what I’m being taught, and go out there and try and play … for my guys next to me, it’s all going to come together like it has in years past. And this year it is just not, man.”
So, it’s been a difficult year for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Kansas City has a 6-7 record going into their Sunday, December 14, game against the 9-4 Chargers, and they’re underdogs.
But, if the Chiefs do win, they keep their playoff hope alive. Ahead of the Chargers game, according to NFL research, the team has a 13% chance of making the postseason, and if they come out with a victory, that increases to 19%. But, if they fall to the Chargers, their probability of winning drops to less than one percent, and they’ll be out for good.
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