KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eagles retired center Jason Kelce apologized during ESPN’s pregame show Monday night after grabbing an unruly fan’s phone and throwing it to the ground before last weekend’s Ohio State-Penn State game.

“In the heat of the moment, I decided to meet hate with hate,” Kelce said before ESPN’s telecast of the Buccaneers-Chiefs game with his brother, Kansas City linebacker Travis Kelce. “I fell short this week.”

Jason Kelce was attending the Big Ten game between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania, when the incident occurred. Video on social media showed him walking through a crowd near Beaver Stadium and fans demanding photos and punches when a fan began to harass him.

At that point, Kelce grabbed the fan’s phone and threw it to the ground, then turned to face the man in Penn State gear. Another fan appeared to intervene between them before the altercation could escalate.

“I think everybody saw on social media what happened this week,” Kelce said on the ESPN broadcast. “Look, I’m not happy with anything that happened. I’m not proud of it. In the heat of the moment I chose to meet hate with hate and I just don’t think that’s a productive thing to do, I really don’t. . I don’t think it leads to speech and is the right way to proceed at that time.

“The bottom line is I try to live my life by the golden rule, that’s what I’ve always been taught,” he said. “I try to treat people with common decency and respect and will continue to do so going forward.”

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