Chargers Player Receives Fine for Slapping Travis Kelce in Week 1

Officials' decision to keep player in game affected outcome in Kansas City Chiefs season-opener.

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Sep 5, 2025; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) looks dejected after a NFL game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Corinthians Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jean Carniel/Reuters via Imagn Images | Jean Carniel/Reuters via Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – If Andy Reid was confused why Teair Tart wasn’t immediately ejected for blasting Travis Kelce with an open-handed slap in the second half of the Chiefs’ Week 1 game, he’s going to be even more confused by the latest development.

According to Kris Rhim, who covers the Chargers for ESPN.com, the NFL has fined the defensive tackle only $12,000 for the slap.

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Sep 5, 2025; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half during a NFL game at Corinthians Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jean Carniel/Reuters via Imagn Images | Jean Carniel/Reuters via Imagn Images

NFL schedule of fines

The NFL’s 2025 schedule of fines, collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association, lists a $12,172 penalty for a first offense under “Striking/Kicking/Tripping/Kneeing.”

Reid explained earlier this week what officials told him on the sideline.

“Yeah, I don't understand that, that rule,” Reid said Monday afternoon. “I didn't … I guess it's open hand, fist, whatever. I don't know. I mean, I don't know all that, what their decision was on that. But he definitely got hit in the head pretty hard, whether it was an open fist or closed fist.”

On the play, during what was to that point the Chiefs’ best drive of the game midway through the third quarter, Tart and Kelce exchanged words following the snap. After Kareem Hunt had converted the third-and-1 with a short run, Kelce gave Tart a bit of an extra shove. Tart answered with a lightning-fast right hook.

Open hand, not closed fist

Except, as Reid mentioned, the contact to Kelce’s head and neck area was with an open hand, not a closed fist. But the power behind the contact created by Tart, a 6-2, 315-pound lineman, appeared to move Kelce’s head dangerously backward on slow-motion replays.

“Yeah, I think it's the open-hand, closed-hand deal,” Reid said, “I'm not sure how you determine that. Which hurts more?”

Oct 21, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart (90) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

According to rules analyst Terry McAulay, officials only flagged Tart for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct and didn’t eject him because the contact was with an open hand. In other words, Tart wasn’t dumb enough to risk breaking his fingers by punching Kelce’s hard helmet.

It was a critical decision in the outcome of the game. After the penalty, Tart deflected Mahomes’ pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. But Tart’s critical contribution was at the end of that drive.

After Mahomes connected with Kelce on a 37-yard touchdown to cut the Chargers’ lead to 20-18, Tart’s big paw swatted the quarterback’s two-point-conversion pass to Noah Gray, preserving the Los Angeles lead. Tart had a message for Chiefs fans afterward, too.

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