Jason Kelce lost it at a person in Pennsylvania ... grabbing someone's phone and throwing it to the ground before storming off -- right after someone in the crowd called Travis a gay slur.
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00:00A lot of strong opinions about Jason Kelsey after his weekend altercation with a student at Penn State.
00:08You know that Jason works for ESPN, covers college and pro football, and as part of his job he was on campus at Penn State over the weekend.
00:18They were playing Ohio State, big game, big game of the weekend.
00:21Well, he's walking across campus and for some reason, without much security around him it seemed,
00:28but walking around campus a lot of students were following him and one of the students decided he was going to try to provoke Jason.
00:37He was a jerk.
00:38He was an absolute jerk, said something to Jason about Travis dating Taylor Swift and used a homophobic slur.
00:46The F word.
00:47Right. You're going to hear the student say this and then you're going to see Jason's reaction which is what everyone is talking about today.
00:53Whether or not he was justified in reacting the way he did and saying what he did during that reaction because he hurled that same homophobic slur.
01:03Watch how it all played out.
01:05Kelsey! Kelsey! Kelsey!
01:08Hey Kelsey!
01:09Kelsey!
01:10How do you feel your brother's a f***ing idiot?
01:13Kelsey, can I get a fist bump?
01:16Kelsey, can I get a fist bump?
01:19Oh, shit.
01:22Yes!
01:23Give me my phone, Kelsey!
01:25Give me my phone!
01:26Give me my phone!
01:27Give me my phone!
01:28Give me my phone!
01:29Get the f*** out of here!
01:33So what you saw was this idiot screaming that to Jason about his brother.
01:40Jason got pissed off, took the cell phone and just slammed it on the ground.
01:46And as he did it, the guy pushed him and then Jason turns and hurls that same remark back three times.
01:54Who's the blank now? Who's the blank now? Who's the blank now?
01:59Well, Taylor Swift fans are all team Jason.
02:03They are rallying behind Jason and calling him a hero.
02:07Saying that they respect him as the big brother we all wish we had.
02:12That he stood up for Travis, stood up for Taylor.
02:15Sorry. Sorry.
02:18And there are people who are acknowledging the fact that he used that slur.
02:22And they say, I wish he didn't use the slur.
02:24But I understand in the moment why he did and we're giving him a pass.
02:30That's generally most of the response online.
02:34I find that just insane.
02:37That, you know, look, that guy who provoked him was an absolute imbecile.
02:43And also homophobic.
02:45But to hurl it back as if to say, who's the big man now?
02:52But using a homophobic slur, you know, or who's the weak man now, really.
02:58Because that's the intimation here.
03:01Just substitute it for a racial slur, for the n-word.
03:06It would be intolerable. It's the same thing.
03:10It is the same thing.
03:12I don't, they're not the same.
03:15Why not?
03:16They're both unacceptable, but they have different intents.
03:19Well, right.
03:20They're both unacceptable.
03:21That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying.
03:22They're both unacceptable.
03:24But they're acceptable in this world.
03:28By some fans, yeah.
03:30I think, and having grown up during that time, like I'm around the same age as Jason Kelsey,
03:35I think unfortunately this was something that we heard used in the 80s and the 90s and the early 2000s.
03:41Right, but would you use it today, Babcock?
03:43Of course not, no way.
03:44Would you use it if you were provoked today?
03:46No, I can't see myself ever saying that.
03:48So what's the justification?
03:50People know now, don't use that word.
03:53It's really a derogatory, homophobic slur.
03:56So why use it?
03:58I mean, why justify it?
04:00I guess your point is, what feels uncomfortable in watching Jason Kelsey's reaction is how,
04:07the fact that he used it three times, right?
04:09And so your concern is, is this a word that he would use in a different situation?
04:19Well, yes, to be frank, yes.
04:22But the bigger thing is whether he does or doesn't use it.
04:26Is there a pass for being angry in a moment of passion, right?
04:34Would there be a pass if the situation were different and they used the N-word?
04:38Well, if someone had called him that word, then you would go...
04:43You should not then use the same word that you knew was...
04:47So I guess, let's say that Jason Kelsey were black, right?
04:52And that the guy used the N-word.
04:56Now if Jason Kelsey turns around and yells back at him and says, who's the N-word now?
05:01But let's say he's not black, because that's the bigger analogy.
05:04Because I'm assuming Jason's not LGBTQ, Travis is not LGBTQ,
05:09so assume he's not black and uses that word, because I think that's what you have to do.
05:15I would just go, why are you...
05:17What?
05:18You'd be mad.
05:19I mean, why are you using that word?
05:20Right.
05:21And it's more than just unacceptable or uncomfortable.
05:24It's just dead wrong.
05:26Shayla from Seattle.
05:27Well, given the intense insult directed at him and his family, I don't think it's justified.
05:31His response is not ideal, but people snap when emotions run high.
05:35Also, I feel like this is a wake-up call for everyone to respect athletes, influencers, or anyone out there.
05:41They need to start setting boundaries with people.
05:43When you use that word, I am sorry.
05:46There is something wrong about that.
05:48And in response to what he did, it's just...
05:51For me, it's just wrong.
05:53And I seem to be in the minority on this, which is interesting.