Retired National Football League (NFL) center Jason Kelce, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 years where he earned a Super Bowl championship ring in 2018, took to social media to clear the air—and his name—after being blasted by conservatives for something he didn't say.
Kelce, who hosts the podcast New Heights with his younger brother Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, was cited as the source of a quote about critics of this year's Super Bowl halftime performer, Bad Bunny.
After the Puerto Rican rapper's selection was announced, members of the Trump administration, Republican leaders, and other White nationalists decried the decision to feature a "non-English speaking non-American."
While English is not Bad Bunny's first language and most of his songs are in Spanish, he does speak English—as he demonstrated when he hosted Saturday Night Live—and Puerto Rico is part of the United States.
Memes and posts across social media claimed Kelce said:
"If Bad Bunny is a bad fit for the Super Bowl, then maybe the people making these comments are a bad fit for America’s future."
There was no context for the quote, nor was there a link to audio or video to verify its authenticity.
But that didn't stop the MAGAsphere that attacked the choice of Bad Bunny from turning their ire on Kelce.
Convicted felon and Trump pardon recipient Dinesh D'Souza was among those falling for the ruse and amplifying it. D'Souza shared an image of Kelce and Bad Bunny on his Instagram with the fake quote.
He captioned his post:
"What an odd thing to say. How is wanting an English singer who loves America to perform at the Super Bowl a bad thing?"
The first and most liked comment on D'Souza's post said:
"Jason Kelce is about to learn about how popping off about things outside his wheelhouse are bad for his ratings. Thanks for letting us know what side you’re on."
@djs_retired/Instagram
Feeling forced to respond, Kelce posted on X:
"I normally don’t comment on things like this, but I feel I need to address that there are a number of accounts posting fake quotes and attributing them to me on this platform right now."
"I appreciate @X putting community notes on several and I will not address the other accounts specifically, because I do not want to amplify their engagement."
"But please know, unless you hear something directly from me via one of my platforms, it is not real."
Even Grok originally got it wrong.
Conservatives still sounded off in the comments, whining about athletes who don't agree with them and about DEI and rainbows.
But most people had Kelce's back.
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny seems to be taking the MAGA hate in stride.
The Grammy winning performer joked about the backlash during his opening monologue for SNL, saying "everyone is happy" about his selection, "even Fox News."
The rapper said:
"I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, and I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy."
Switching to Spanish, he added:
"Especially all the Latinos and Latinas in the whole world, and here in the United States, all the people who have worked to open doors, more than I have achieved, who have achieved everything, demonstrating that our way, our carrying of this country, no one can ever remove nor erase."
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