A few days ago, Jason Kelce had a strange interaction with a fan. The supposed fan was spotted in a video cussing and hurling insults at Jason for not signing his autographs. He berated the former Eagles center and said that he had wanted to flip the autographs to feed his family.
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After a whole of insults and constant berating, Kelce had to get out of the car to calm the situation and sign the autographs. The fan apologized for his behavior but many feel the Super Bowl winner was under no obligation to sign those autographs, including Ryan Clark.
Clark argued that Jason Kelce’s fame shouldn’t obligate him to tolerate crass behavior from fans. The former Steelers safety emphasized that public figures like Kelce have every right to respond in kind to the treatment they receive.
“Why should we be above returning the same sort of energy that you give us? Why should Jason Kelce be under such a microscope that he feels compelled to go sign the guy’s autograph who’s calling him every name under the sun? This is how I feed my family. Find a different way to feed your family then.”
Twice now, some idiot has tried Jason Kelce, after an autograph SELLER approached him at Jimmy Kimmel. Freedom of speech has turned into freedom to disrespect, & we’ve somehow started to protect the disrespectful.
We expect the successful to show more grace than others, & to… pic.twitter.com/tYLR5d1Zzq
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) November 25, 2024
Clark expressed frustration over the expectation that celebrities must always remain polite and accommodating, even when subjected to insults or rude demands, such as being pressured to sign autographs with verbal abuse.
RC believes there is a civilized way to get an autograph from athletes like Jason which doesn’t involve hassling them. But why did the former 6-time All-Pro Center forced to sign anything? Clark feels it might be because of the Penn State incident.
Clark believes the Penn State incident played a part in Jason signing autographs in LA
Kelce got into an altercation with a hater during his visit to Penn State, covering the game for ESPN. The fan unfurled obscenities at him, calling his brother Travis homophobic slurs. Jason retaliated, putting the fan in his place by smashing his cellphone that he had been recording him with.
Jason faced significant backlash and criticism for his previous actions, ultimately prompting him to issue an apology on his podcast. The controversy even sparked calls for his dismissal from his media role. Clark believes the fallout from that incident still weighs heavily on Jason’s mind, influencing his response during the encounter in Los Angeles.
“Because of the other incident at Penn State, he feels now I have to be different and I have to go sign this guy’s autograph because that’s going to be two incidents on me that are now public. Jason has earned so much and so much to lose that you get to mistreat him just because he is successful.”
Clark noted that during the incident, onlookers began recording the exchange, seemingly intending to provoke or embarrass Kelce. This scrutiny, Clark argued, left Jason with no choice but to exercise restraint and caution, fully aware of how much he stands to lose if he reacts impulsively.
