NEED TO KNOW
- Xavier Worthy praised Travis Kelce as a “supporter” since the Kansas City Chiefs tight end accidentally collided with him at the home opener
- The star wide receiver sustained a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum that took him out from the game in week 1, yet made his return to the field on Sept. 28 against the Baltimore Ravens
- Kelce previously reflected on the unintentional hit that injured his teammate and called it one of the “frustrating” aspects of playing football
Xavier Worthy is showing Travis Kelce some love.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver, 22, praised his star tight end teammate, 35, when speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Sept. 28. His remarks came after Kelce accidentally injured Worthy during their opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil.
Worthy, who made his return to the field during the Chiefs victorious game against the Baltimore Ravens, was asked by a reporter what Kelce has been like “as a supporter” since he inadvertently hit him mid game and resulted in what was projected to be a potential season-ending shoulder injury.
“Man Trav, he’s the biggest hype man on the team,” Worthy said during the presser. “He’s always just hyping guys up and telling me like, ‘Man, I need you,’ and I’m ‘always the guy that’s gonna step up,’ so I just want to step up for the guys.”
Worthy sustained a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in Week 1 after he collided with Kelce on the season’s third play Friday, Sept. 5, in São Paulo. Coach Andy Reid said three days after the injury that his return was unknown; however, Worthy’s rehab and work paid off.
“When I got hurt, I was trying to get back in immediately. I just couldn’t lift my arm. When I got back to K.C., I was trying to get back in as fast as possible,” the second-year player said during the Sept. 28 press conference.
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“The coaches, they know how I am as a player,” he continued. “They probably held me back from myself more than anything. I was trying to get back out there at the same time. I never had any worries about coming back.”
Kelce reflected on the injury he accidentally caused during the game that ended in a 27-21 loss against the Chargers when speaking on the Wednesday, Sept. 10, New Heights episode with his brother and co-host Jason Kelce, where he said the incident was one of the “frustrating” aspects of playing football.
“I owe my guy big time, man, X knows it,” Travis told his brother. “I felt like s—, I could barely even f—in’ play the rest of that first half, man. But we girded up once I found out that he was in better spirits than I imagined.”
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Travis, however, said he will “take the most accountability” for the injury.
“I wasn’t ready, that first drive, I ran into one of my guys and offed him out of the game,” he said on New Heights. “I literally took one of my players out. That’s one of the most frustrating parts and it’s hard to get your juices back going knowing you just hurt a guy.”
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“I just gotta be better, man, I’m 13 years in the league there’s no excuse for me running into my own guys like that and being able to play fast and help,” he added.
Travis said that he believes Worthy is “one of our best players,” and that he’s a step away from “being one of the best receivers in the National Football League.”