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Travis Kelce says brother Jason was ‘defending’ their family in phone-smashing incident

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Travis Kelce says brother Jason was ‘defending’ their family in phone-smashing incident

Travis Kelce said his brother Jason Kelce was defending his family when he reacted to a heckling fan Saturday by slamming the fan’s phone onto the ground. The brothers discussed the incident, which led to a Penn State police investigation and included Jason exchanging a homophobic slur with the fan, on an episode of their “New Heights Podcast” released Wednesday.

“I know it’s weighing on you, brother. … Everybody passing around the videos that are out there. That’s gonna make it a bigger situation than, I think, what it really is,” Travis said on the podcast.

“But the real situation is you had some f— clown come up to you and talk about your family and you reacted in a way that was defending your family. And you might have used some words that you regret using. And that’s a situation that where you just kinda have to learn from and own.”

Jason, a former Philadelphia Eagles center, was in State College to appear on “College GameDay,” which was in town for Saturday’s matchup between Penn State and Ohio State. While outside Beaver Stadium, a fan walking behind Jason can be heard on video using a homophobic slur regarding the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis. The fan said: “Kelce, how does it feel that your brother is a fa— for dating Taylor Swift?”

Jason then turned around and appeared to take the phone of the fan who said the slur and throw it on the ground. The fan demanded Jason give him the phone back and Jason responded: “Who’s the fa— now?”

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Jason Kelce previously addressed the incident on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” and said he was “not proud of it.” On the podcast, he expressed further remorse, saying he’s “not happy about the situation.”

“Me reacting gave him the time of day and it also gave the situation notoriety,” Jason said. “That’s what I regret. It didn’t deserve attention. It’s really stupid. And if I just keep walking, it’s a nothing burger. Nobody sees it. Now it’s out there and it just perpetuates more hate.

“The thing I regret the most is saying that word, to be honest with you. The word (the fan) used, it’s just ridiculous and it takes it to another level. … It’s dehumanizing and it got under my skin.”

Travis commended his brother for “owning” the situation, telling Jason that “speaking about it shows how sincere you are to a lot of people in this world.”

“Especially what you said on Monday night that you … you don’t choose hate. That’s just not who you are,” Travis said.

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A Penn State University Police and Public Safety spokesperson confirmed Tuesday the department is investigating the incident and the process for reviewing the case is ongoing.

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(Photo of Jason and Travis Kelce: Rob Carr / Getty Images)

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Do You Recognize These Past Winners of the National Book Award?

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Do You Recognize These Past Winners of the National Book Award?

Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s regular quiz about books, authors and literary culture. In honor of the National Book Awards presented by the National Book Association on Nov. 19, this week’s challenge celebrates winners from the past 20 years and asks you to identify a title by a short description of the work. In the five multiple-choice questions below, tap or click on the answer you think is correct. After the last question, you’ll find links to the books if you’d like to do further reading.

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Video: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

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Video: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

new video loaded: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

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‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

David Szalay became the first British Hungarian to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel “Flesh.”

“I think fiction can take risks. I think it’s one of the things that it can do. It can take aesthetic risks, formal risks, perhaps even moral risks, which many other forms, narrative forms, can’t quite do to the same extent.” “I think all six of the books in the short list really, you know, not — it’s not saying this is the headline theme, but there is that theme of reaching out, wanting a connection.”

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David Szalay became the first British Hungarian to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel “Flesh.”

By Shawn Paik

November 11, 2025

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Test Yourself on the Settings Mentioned in These Novels About Road Trips

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Test Yourself on the Settings Mentioned in These Novels About Road Trips

A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz highlights the starting points or destinations of five novels about road trips. (Even if you aren’t familiar with the book, most questions offer an additional hint about the location.) To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. At the end of the quiz, you’ll find links to the books if you’d like to do further reading.

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