“Disrespectful”: Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce Are Disheartened After Panthers Owner Tosses Beverages on Fans

Recently, during a disheartening 26-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers appeared to lose his temper. His frustration escalated when rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw an interception with less than three minutes remaining. This incident captured the attention of the NFL community, particularly drawing the interest of the Kelce brothers.

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Jason Kelce pulled up a video that showed David Tepper throwing a drink onto a Jaguars fan from his VIP box at the EverBank stadium. Reacting to the video, Jason said, “Yeah that he definitely threw a drink on a fan. Throwing like a drink or like spitting on somebody is just like…I’d rather you just punch me in the face like, I don’t know why that is so much more disrespectful to somebody.” Travis agreed with his statement and said, “I’m kind of with you on this. Like it’s almost like a snood like I’m like dude yes f**k you I’m higher up than you.”

The Kelce brothers even went on to give a shout-out to the owner of the Carolina Panthers. The Chiefs TE laughed and said, “Shout out to the frustrating times that this guy’s going through right now just getting heckled by Jaguar fans now.” Jason also mentioned that the NFL revealed that it was aware of the video but won’t be taking any action as of now.

It’s been a challenging year for the Carolina Panthers. With just one game remaining for the Panthers, they are poised to finish the season with a record of 2-15. Looking ahead to next year, their only consolation is securing an early draft pick. After only 11 games, David Tepper fired the first-year coach, Frank Reich. In less than six years since Tepper acquired the Panthers, he has gone through coaches Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule, along with interim coaches Perry Fewell, Steve Wilks, and Chris Tabor.

Post the game on Sunday, the NFL called his conduct “unacceptable” and fined David Tepper $300,000 for tossing a drink at fans. On Tuesday a statement was released by the NFL, which said, “All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL.”  The Carolina Panthers owner responded and apologized for his behavior and felt that he should have let the NFL security handle any issues. He said, “I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior.” 

The NFL community experienced a similar incident in 2009 when the NFL fined the late Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for making an obscene gesture at Buffalo fans while celebrating Tennessee’s victory over the Bills.

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Not only owners but there are also instances where fans have engaged in misconduct. Should the NFL take action against fans who carried away by emotions, jeopardize the experience of others, and put them in danger?

Times when NFL fans went too far

In January 2022, the younger Mahomes brother was filming content with his brother’s fiancée, Brittany Matthews, on the sidelines of a Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos game. According to a video captured on the scene by TikTok user phendo13 (via @BBQDom on Twitter), a Broncos supporter screamed a slur at Jackson Mahomes. In response, Mahomes addressed the onlooker and said, ‘That’s rude,’ only to have the fan yell the epithet once more.

In a different instance, it seemed that an argument broke out between a man sporting an Aaron Donald Rams jersey and some other supporters who were sitting in the rows ahead of him. Following a heated exchange of words, a woman from a different row intervened and quickly intensified the tension by hurling a drink close to the heated exchange of words. More drinks began to be thrown at the crowd from higher up in the stands, and soon after, three fans began beating up the original Rams fan while other onlookers attempted to break it up. This led to fights between other groups of fans as well.

Do you know of any incident where fans went overboard? Let us know in the comments below.

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