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By now, most NFL fans have seen the clip of retired center Jason Kelce slamming a Penn State student's phone on the street. Kelce has apologized for the incident but has been defended by the vast majority, including former teammate Chris Long, who called the student's actions “weak.”
“He's lucky it's not someone with less to lose,” Long said on the ‘This is Football' show to host Kevin Clark. “You do that to someone with less to lose, you might be in real trouble. So it's kind of a soft target. You're in broad daylight, thousands of people around you, running up on Kelce; it's just weak.”
Chris Long with the best five minutes you'll hear today on the Jason Kelce situation.
"The internet culture has ruined real life and there's too many people who grew up in situations where they never got punched in the face."
An unbelievable This Is Football with @JOEL9ONE. pic.twitter.com/m5WdwfAKRa
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) November 5, 2024
In the now-viral clip, Kelce was walking to Beaver Stadium for the Penn State vs. Ohio State football game on Nov. 2 while being repeatedly harassed by students. The student who had his phone ripped out of his hands and slammed on the street called Kelce's brother, Travis Kelce, a homophobic slur for being in a relationship with Taylor Swift.
Long ripped the Penn State fan for seeking social media attention with his actions, saying internet culture has “ruined real life.” The former defensive end compared social media to kids antagonizing animals at the zoo where they are in no danger of being physically harmed.
Kelce and Long spent two years together in Philadelphia from 2017 to 2018. Their overlap occurred at the end of Long's 11-year career while Kelce was still in the prime of his.
Jason Kelce reportedly under investigation by Penn State police
Jason Kelce might not have touched the Penn State student who taunted him on camera but is reportedly under investigation by the university police for the incident. If found guilty, Kelce would likely be responsible for the financial damages he caused by breaking a cell phone. It is unclear if the investigation was caused by an official report from the student or the result of the viral video.
Legally, Kelce will be viewed differently than he currently is by the majority on social media. Many have praised the 37-year-old for not reacting physically after the student shoved him following the phone slamming. Instead, Kelce got in the student's face and returned the NSFW comment.
Several current and former players, including Long, have admitted that they would have had a worse reaction than Kelce if they were in his position. Even with the fan's phone being a valuable piece of property that was damaged likely beyond repair, it is difficult for most to sympathize with him as the victim.
