Jason Kelce has been everywhere lately — and it’s not sitting well with some of his new colleagues.
On the Wednesday, September 25 episode of ESPN’s First Take, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo went on an unprovoked rant against Kelce, 36, who made his debut on the network’s Monday Night Countdown earlier this month.
“They’re going to get mad at me, but I’m going to say it anyway because I feel like it. I’m in one of those moods,” Russo, 64, said on the popular morning show. “I think we’ve all seen plenty of Jason Kelce in the last few weeks.”
The remark did not sit well with Russo’s fellow panelists, including host Molly Qerim, who responded, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.”
“I happen to like Jason Kelce,” deskmate Stephen A. Smith said. Qerim, 40, added, “We all do.”
But Russo was undeterred, shouting at his cohosts, “Yes or no?! Yes or no?!”
“Yes or no, what?” an exhausted Smith, 56, answered.
A noticeably giddy Russo kept up his pestering ways, arguing, “They put him in the booth in the Philadelphia game against Atlanta!”
Russo was making reference to the Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons on September 16, where Kelce had a lengthy stay in the broadcast booth with commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Plenty of viewers took issue with Kelce’s constant presence during the game, especially as he audibly cheered for the Eagles, his former team.
Despite his passion, Russo’s argument fell on deaf ears, with Qerim calling him “a star.”
“He’s a new star to the network,” Smith said calmly. “I’m very proud of him. I’m happy to see him. I ain’t got no problems with that.”
Before Russo could continue any further, Qerim changed the subject and threw to commercial break.
Russo wasn’t the only sports media member to take issue with Kelce dominating the broadcast. After the game, Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina wrote a story with the headline ESPN Turned Falcons-Eagles Into Never-Ending ‘Jason Kelce Show.’
“I can’t imagine what a Falcons fan must have thought of that second half when their team was completely ignored before pulling off a stunning comeback,” Traina wrote.
To his credit, Kelce acknowledged that the broadcast was a little overwhelming and issued a mea culpa shortly after.
“Atlanta had to deal with me for four hours before things got rough for the Eagles,” Kelce told brother Travis Kelce on their “New Heights” podcast September 18. “I fully understand why a bunch of Atlanta people hate my guts right now, so I apologize.”
