Penn State police are investigating an incident in which former Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce slammed a fan’s phone to the ground on Saturday outside Beaver Stadium after the fan used a homophobic slur to describe his brother Travis, a department spokesperson confirmed.
“University Police and Public Safety is the investigating agency for this incident and the process is ongoing,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
A daily crime log entry that appears to match the incident lists criminal mischief and disorderly conduct as the potential offenses. Both can be charged as either summary offenses or misdemeanors.
The entry states that an “officer observed a visitor damaging personal property” near the intersection of Curtin Road and Commuter Drive, which is outside the south end of the stadium. The spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether or not the fan had also filed a report with police.
Kelce addressed the incident for the first time Monday night on ESPN, where he is an NFL analyst.
“I’m not happy with anything that took place. I’m not proud of it. In a heated moment I chose to greet hate with hate and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing, I really don’t. I don’t think… it’s the right way to go about things. In that moment I fell down to a level I shouldn’t have. The bottom line is I try to live my life by the golden rule. That’s what I’ve always been taught. I try to treat people with common decency and respect and I’m going to keep doing that moving forward, even though… I fell short this week…”
Multiple videos that circulated on social media showed Kelce, who was in town for the Penn State-Ohio State game and appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay, walking along Curtin Road near the stadium when the fan shouted “Hey Kelce, how does it feel you’re brother’s a f— dating Taylor Swift?”
Kelce turned back, took the fan’s phone and threw it to the the ground. After the fan, who was wearing a Penn State hoodie, said “Give me my phone,” Kelce replied “Who’s the f— now?”
One video obtained by TMZ appeared to show the fan shoving Kelce after the phone was thrown and Kelce saying “Who’s the f— now?” three times before walking away.
While addressing a question about his own — much milder — interaction with a fan on Saturday, Penn State coach James Franklin also spoke about the incident involving Kelce.
Franklin said he wanted Kelce “to have a wonderful experience,” and that he saw something he “wasn’t very proud of.”
“I wish that didn’t happen,” Franklin said. “But there is also, in 2024, I love that that person, there was a consequence to his action. You know, so can it go too far sometimes and we talk about the passion and all those things being great, yes. But that also doesn’t excuse bad behavior at times. So, it comes with the territory, but that doesn’t make it right, if that makes sense.”
