Travis Kelce Tells Brother Jason He Was ‘Defending Your Family’ in Phone-Smashing Incident

“I think you owning it and you speaking about it shows how sincere you are,” Travis told Jason on this week’s ‘New Heights’ podcast

Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce during the ACC Celebrity Golf Championship presented by American Century Investments at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on July 12, 2024. Photo: David Calvert/Getty

Jason Kelce will forever have Travis Kelce in his corner.

After the retired Philadelphia Eagles star, 37, went viral on Saturday, Nov. 2, for smashing the phone of a Penn State football fan who called Travis, 35, “a f—– dating Taylor Swift” and later repeated the homophobic slur back to the fan, his younger brother reacted to the incident during the Wednesday, Nov. 6 edition of their New Heights podcast.

“I know it’s weighing on you, brother. That s— sucks. You shouldn’t feel this much,” expressed Travis about the interaction that took place outside of Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., ahead of Jason’s appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay during the Penn State-Ohio State game.

Jason Kelce works as a broadcaster on Monday Night Football prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 7, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. — Jason Kelce works as a broadcaster on Monday Night Football prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints on October 7, 2024.David Eulitt/Getty

Travis said he believes people “passing around the videos” of the incident made for a “bigger situation than I think what it really is.”

“The real situation is you had some f—— clown come up to you and talk about your family and you reacted in a way that was defending your family, and you might’ve used some words that you regret using,” the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said.

“That’s a situation you’ve just got to learn from and own. I think you owning it and you speaking about it shows how sincere you are to a lot of people in this world,” continued Travis. “You don’t choose hate, that’s just not who you are.”

Travis Kelce Kansas City Chiefs — Travis Kelce takes part in pregame warmups prior ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 4, 2024.David Eulitt/Getty

The NFL star ended his sentiments by telling his older brother, “I love you,” adding, “I think you said that perfectly.”

Travis’ remarks came after Jason, who first addressed the incident on the Nov. 4 edition of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, said on the podcast that he was “not happy about the situation” and that his reaction “gave the situation notoriety.”

The former football center said the “thing that I regret the most is saying that word to be honest with you … the word he used it’s just f—— ridiculous and it takes it to another level. It’s just off the wall, f—— over the line.”

“It’s dehumanizing and it got under my skin, it elicited a reaction,” continued Jason.

“In the heat of the moment, I thought ‘Hey, what can I say back to him? I’m going to throw this s— right back in his face. F— him,’ ” he said admitting he knows now that he “shouldn’t have done that.”

Penn State Police confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday, Nov. 5, that the altercation is under investigation. At the time of the incident, PEOPLE reached out to representatives for both Jason and ESPN but didn’t immediately receive a response.