Jason Kelce on MNF Credit: ESPN
ESPNNFLBy Sam Neumann on

Jason Kelce is well aware that the ‘E’ in ESPN stood for Eagles on Monday Night Football.

We can’t take credit for Kyle Brandt’s original sentiment, but he wasn’t the only one who felt that way about Kelce’s controversial presence on the broadcast, including an in-booth appearance with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the third quarter.

It was controversial in the sense that Monday’s broadcast was clearly slanted toward the Eagles. Granted, it was Philadelphia’s home opener, but the spotlight was on the “The Bird”‘ and rarely — if ever — shined on Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons.

And whether he read the criticism or not, Kelce wasn’t immune to it. He admitted as much on the latest episode of his New Heights Podcast with his younger brother and Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end, Travis Kelce.

“Atlanta had to deal with me for four hours before things got rough for the Eagles,” Kelce says, according to the New York Post.

And he took it upon himself to apologize, saying, “Listen, I want to apologize to Falcons fans watching because I understand that you just had to watch just a Philadelphia celebration and a parade of a former player coming back home.”

Suffice it to say that ESPN presented Monday night’s game without much subtly.

“How crazy is it? The first time I’m back in the building, I’m commenting on a game?” Kelce said. “Before the game, being out in the parking lot, the countdown, being up in the booth with Joe and Troy, it was really, really awesome for me, so selfishly, I am just beyond happy that that was kind of how I get to remember my first time being in the Linc not as a player.

“At the same time, I fully understand why a bunch of Atlanta people hate my guts right now, so I apologize.”

So, while Kelce’s homecoming was a memorable celebration for Philadelphia fans, it was just as much a source of frustration for Atlanta fans, who felt overshadowed by the Eagles-focused broadcast.

Kelce may have been the face of the night for Eagles fans on what otherwise would have been a night they’d like to forget, but his heartfelt apology to Falcons fans shows he’s aware of the fine line between celebration and alienation. And perhaps his employer should be, too.

[New York Post, New Heights]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann