Brawl My Fault

Eagles five-time All Pro center Jason Kelce is no stranger to having his name in the headlines, whether from stellar play, interactions with fans, or antics on his podcast.

However, his name was found in an unusual spot at Tuesday’s joint practice between the Eagles and Colts – as the aggressor in a massive brawl between the teams that ended the day early.

In his post-practice press conference, the 35-year-old wasted no time explaining the situation and taking responsibility for his role in it.

“Tensions just got the better of me,” he said. “We try to keep things civil on the field and I pride myself on being the guy that sustains the emotion and level of play out there…that certainly doesn’t belong out there on the field.

“I’m a little bit ashamed that it got to that level.”

Kelce, a team captain for five seasons running, put his veteran leadership on display, deflecting every question about the Colts and linebacker Zaire Franklin – whose roughness on Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell drew Kelce’s ire – back to his own role, not wanting to let his actions reflect on the entire team.

“You want to play this game with emotion and intensity,” he added, “but you can’t let your emotion take control and cause you to do things that will hurt the team in the long run.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

Listen to the latest “Inside The Birds” podcast featuring Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher:


Or watch on YouTube: