New York State Counselor Reviews Scary Super Bowl Moment

Over a week after the Super Bowl, many people are still shocked and appalled by what they witnessed during a crucial game moment. 

You may remember the scene all too well. After all, you don’t typically see a player charging towards his 65-year-old coach to the point that the coach gets knocked over. 

Travis Kelce appeared to do just that during the Big Game, and although Coach Andy Reid insisted that he only stumbled because Kelce caught him off-balance, many viewers seemed to witness something very different than what was described. 

Take a look at the incident below. 

Many Swifties became worried for Taylor Swift, who is also known as Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, as it appears that he has potential to be violent after everyone witnessing the incident during the most-viewed sporting event of all time. 

We spoke with a professional to evaluate the seriousness of the situation. 

Meet The Counselor Evaluating The Incident 

Kacey Huron, a counselor at the Spectrum Health Southtowns Counseling Center in West Seneca, is a leader at the Southtowns location that helps a group of people dealing with anger management issues. 

Initial Reaction To Infamous Super Bowl Moment

After seeing what happened at the Super Bowl, Huron said, “It was a frightening glimpse of what anger looks like.

“In my professional experience, behavior like we saw [during the] Super Bowl weekend from Kelce is commonplace, particularly in media and in interpersonal relationships,” Huron said. “Displays like this can happen when a combination of genetic predisposition meets dysregulated models in upbringing meets an environment that permits aggression as an ideal.”

“It’s unfortunate that one of the biggest athletic stages allows this grandstanding, among other incidents of verbal and physical violence that is frequently part of major sports,” Huron said. 

Although Reid said it was just a startle, Huron agreed that he seemed spooked. 

“[Kelce] definitely at least scared him, mainly because Andy Reid wasn’t even looking.” Huron said, “He was doing his job coaching and looking at the field, so just the size and the immediate impact of Travis just being right next to him…it seemed like it scared him.” 

Travis Kelce Signs Of Anger

One of the reasons that people were scared after seeing the video of Travis and Coach Reid was the clear evidence of anger exhibited from Kelce..

“You could see how red his face was and the veins popping out of his neck, [showing] that he was seriously frustrated,” Huron said. “It was definitely more exaggerated than other reactions I’ve seen.” 

Is Travis Kelce Abusive Towards Taylor Swift?

Swifties shouldn’t be too quick to call Kelce “violent.” Counselor and clinician Kacey Huron believes that the outburst was a result of a combination of things. 

“I wouldn’t be quick to demonize Travis or label him…as aggressive in his relationship.”

She acknowledged that many people have made comments, alluding to his relationship with Taylor and what goes on there, but it’s a mystery we won’t really know because “we don’t know anything like that.” 

Huron said, “I do know that it’s a combination of probably some individual characteristics of his own and then just the culture of the NFL and the culture of how we structure what it means to ‘be an alpha’ and ‘be an athlete.’ Plus, the heat of the moment and the frustration of potentially losing the game. So it’s definitely a combination of different things.” 

Signs That Someone May Be/Become Violent

Thankfully, Huron provided some clues that you can look for in someone who may be a violent person. 

“The things to look for are definitely some cues when things are starting to escalate,” she said. “Body language is a big one, if you notice that. When someone gets upset about something, even if they’re not necessarily angry. If they do start to stand up, stand their ground, grand stand, they get closer to you, they try to back you into a corner, or they are really just trying to use their body more so than their words to communicate…”

Huron said, “If [a partner] starts to kind of move into places that would be maybe potentially cutting you off from some kind of exit, [such as] a window or a door, or something like that.”

"It Can Happen To Everyone," Huron Said.

The one thing about abuse, in relationships, friendships, and family connections, it “does not discriminate,” Huron said. “It can happen to everyone, both being the victim or whoever the abuser is…I especially wouldn’t want to demonize people that think that they are struggling with anger or tolerating frustrations [and] distress.”

“I am here and there are community resources that are here that can help you understand the pain that you might be having.” 

Additional Resources

Huron provided the following resources to those who may need additional assistance:

Intake: 716-539-5500

National suicide hotline: 988

Our 24/7 hotline: 716-710-5172

Crisis services: 716-834-3131

Haven House: 716-884-6000

To join the distress tolerance group in Western New York, please inquire at the Spectrum Health Southtowns location. The 12 week program is available now, and it is based on a manual created by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) where members will develop self awareness, coping skills, communication, and address the myths about anger and aggression. It is every Wednesday evening from 5:30 PM - 6:45 PM.