Baltimore Ravens all-time kicker Justin Tucker has not forgotten about last year. The NFL season is upon us, and it will all kick off with an incredible matchup between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game.
Everyone probably remembers the on-field beef between Tucker and Travis Kelce that went down before the game, and Tucker himself has clearly not forgotten about it. Now he fueled the fire of their rivalry ahead of their opening matchup.
Origin Of Justin Tucker And Travis Kelce Beef
It all started before the actual AFC championship game when Tucker was warming up for the game. He happened to be on the Chiefs’ side of the field.
Kelce went up to Tucker’s equipment and helmet and launched it pretty far away. This was all well documented at the time, and both Patrick Mahomes and Kelce completely blamed Tucker for the altercation afterward. Here is what Mahomes and Kelce had to say:
“He does that little stuff, I think to try to get under our skin,” Mahomes said. “I asked him to move his stuff. He got up and moved it, I think, two inches but didn’t move it out of the way. I was gonna let it slide, but Travis got in and moved it for me.
“And after that, I wasn’t gonna let him put it back down. I have a lot of respect for him as a player, one of the best kickers of all time, probably the best kicker of all time. But at the same time, you’ve got to have respect for each team, and we all share the field, and we try to do that in a respectful way.”
Justin Tucker set up on the Chiefs side of the field. Kickers have been doing this on purpose for years, trying to irritate.
Kelce and Mahomes did the right thing tossing his gear… should have tossed it further. Play stupid games, earn stupid prizes.pic.twitter.com/NJuFCqeLhh
— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) January 28, 2024
Tucker responded himself saying he felt like he really did not try to do anything wrong, and did not intend to bother the opposing team by doing that. He claimed that this is exactly what he has been doing for the entirety of his career and has never once had any issue with any opposing team or players:
“I’m totally willing to let it all go, but I just wanted to explain that that’s just what I have done for 12 years and it’s not like I’m out there trying to be problematic. I’m just out there trying to get ready for the football game, just like they are. And that’s all I’ve really got to say about it, just to be clear.”
It’s hard to say who was in the right and who was in the wrong, but one thing is clear; these teams do not like each other.
Justin Tucker Refuses To Talk About Patrick Mahomes And Travis Kelce
While everyone had a different opinion on what happened to start the AFC championship game, now we are focused on this season. Ahead of their week 1 matchup, the All-Pro kicker was reminded of the altercation that went down with the opposing Chiefs’ players, and he refused to comment on them:
“All I’ll say about it is I’m excited to go into a great environment, play against a great football team, with great players, great coaches, and do everything I can to prepare myself to be ready to contribute to the Ravens winning a football game,” Tucker told ESPN.com. “And that’s all I got to say about it.”
He was then asked if he would warm up the same way that he has always been for his 12-year career and again he refused to comment on the question.
“My focus will be on preparing myself to go into the football game and contribute to a Ravens win. That’s all I care about,” Tucker reiterated.
We will have to wait and see if anything more comes from this situation, but either way, we are in store for an incredible opening night of 2024 football.
