Andy Reid Questions Why Chargers’ Teair Tart Wasn’t Ejected for Slapping Travis Kelce

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is hoping the NFL investigates why Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart wasn’t removed from the field after slapping Travis Kelce.

During the third quarter of the Chargers and Chiefs’ kickoff game in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 5, Tart, 28, slapped Kelce, 35, on the helmet after the two pushed each other following a two-yard run by Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt.

The referee threw a flag on the play, calling a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Tart. However, they ruled the slap was not a “disqualifying action,” per The Sporting News, and he was able to stay in the game.

Terry McAulay, a former referee who served as YouTube’s rules analyst, explained during the Friday night broadcast that because the slap was an “open hand contact to the head” from Tart rather than a close-fisted punch, it was not enough to disqualify him.

“I don’t understand that rule,” Reid said during an appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB on Monday, Sept. 28. “I guess it’s open-hand, fist, whatever, I don’t know. I don’t know what their decision was on that.” 

“But he definitely got hit in the head pretty hard, whether it was an open fist or a closed fist,” Reid said.

Reid also said that he intends to discuss the rule and altercation with the NFL, but then joked he couldn’t get into too much detail because he didn’t want to pay the fine.

“I’ll work out that with the league,” Reid, 67, said. “I can’t get into all that. I don’t have enough money to do all that.”

On Saturday, Sept. 6, Tart referenced the incident on Instagram, where he seemingly made a dig at Kelce’s fiancée, Taylor Swift.

“I’m too swift with it even in Brazil…” he captioned the Instagram post, which included highlights from the game and a scene from the movie How High, in which a character is slapped in the face.

Swifities, specifically, called out the Chargers player for his actions and words against the Chiefs star.

“Nice attempt at being relevant by putting down a widely successful woman,” wrote one user.

“Crazy how you finally made headlines… for slapping, not sacking. 👋😂,” wrote a second user, while a third commented, “Bro ragbaited a entire fanbase with a caption😂.”

The Chargers beat the Chiefs 27-21. On Sunday, Sept. 14, the Chiefs will host the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX.