Jason Kelce’s Surprising Admission About Refs Led to Lots of Questions From NFL Fans

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NFL fans watching Monday night’s Eagles-Seahawks game were so confused when officials called Jason Kelce for a false start when it seemed as if he had done nothing wrong.
You know who wasn’t confused? Jason Kelce.
The Eagles center spoke about the penalty after the game and said the refs have been warning him for years about moving the ball up a little bit before the snap and that they finally called it.
In case you missed it, this happened on a third-and-inches play in the red zone, and it took the Eagles out of Tush Push mode. They settled for a field goal on the drive and later lost the game, 20–17.
Here’s Kelce’s explanation, via ProFootballTalk:
“They’ve been warning me of that for years,” Kelce said. “I had a tendency to do that in the past so they’ve definitely warned me before. I’ve got to be smarter, especially in that situation.”
“I think if that’s a full yard to gain, probably not as much, but because it was so short, if I move it forward at all it’s going to be called, and I’ve just got to be smarter than that.”
Fans had questions about why he was able to get away with it for so many years:
They’ve been “warning” Kelce to stop cheating for years and just finally did something about it? https://t.co/qgtz7v2JDa
— Stephanie Renee (@srenee96) December 19, 2023
A. This is how you take accountability.
— Air Raid | Buffalo (@TheBillsGuys) December 19, 2023
B. The NFL needs to stop clouding black and white issues by leaving gray areas with all these warnings. https://t.co/iCIJx6T4K3
So…offensive players do get warnings from the refs? 🤯
— Dynasty Lisa_Foxx (@MediaFoxx) December 19, 2023
The NFL bending over backward trying to convince fans that they've always been consistent.
— 🏈 ChiefsChickSEK RiceIsWorthy 🏈 (@chiefschicktx) December 19, 2023
Never heard of a player getting warned for years before getting called for a penalty
— Dr. Mak (@Boy1der22) December 19, 2023

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.
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