Saints' Khalen Saunders defends Jason Kelce after former Eagles star's fiery interaction with Penn State fan

Jason Kelce went viral last week for an incident at State College between him and a fan. The former Eagles star made headlines for smashing a Penn State fan's phone over a derogatory remark made against his brother Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

While Kelce said he regrets his reaction, many NFL fans and athletes feel the retired star's actions were justified. The list of such people includes New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, whose brother is a playback dancer for Swift.

Saunders sided with Kelce for his reaction to a fan's NSFW comment via a post on X (formerly Twitter). In a now-deleted post, according to Daily Mail, Saunders noted:

"My brother! I've dealt with this problem for years & years. You do NOT need to apologize for defending your brother in any circumstance. You are genuinely one of the greatest men in this world. And that lame mf didn't need a phone anymore anyway. & Happy bday Champ."

In ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, Kelce opened up about his reaction, confessing to having regretted the way he acted. Kelce said how he wasn't "proud of it." In the latest episode of the New Heights podcast on Wednesday, he added to his previous statement saying:

"Me reacting gave him the time of day and it also gave the situation notoriety. That’s what I regret. It didn’t deserve attention. It’s really stupid. And if I just keep walking, it’s a nothing burger. Nobody sees it. Now it’s out there and it just perpetuates more hate." (0:41)

"The thing I regret the most is saying that word, to be honest with you. The word (the fan) used, it’s just ridiculous and it takes it to another level. … It’s dehumanizing and it got under my skin," Jason concluded.

While Jason may have regretted his reaction, Travis feels his older brother was absolutely justified.

Travis Kelce said Jason Kelce was 'defending' family in viral phone-smashing incident

Following Jason's statement on the New Heights podcast, Travis shared his thoughts as well. He expressed how he sided with Jason and how he reacted was a way of 'defending' his family. Talking about the video, the Chiefs star tight end said:

"I know it’s weighing on you, brother. … Everybody passing around the videos that are out there. That’s gonna make it a bigger situation than, I think, what it really is. But the real situation is you had some f— clown come up to you and talk about your family." (1:25)

"And you reacted in a way that was defending your family. And you might have used some words that you regret using. And that’s a situation that where you just kinda have to learn from and own," Travis Kelce concluded.

Apart from Travis Kelce and Saunders, Philadelphia Eagles legend Chris Long too sided with Jason Kelce. Long explained how he feels the fan would have faced more serious consequences for his comments if there wasn't a crowd around.