Mecole Hardman says Travis Kelce delivered fiery halftime speech at Super Bowl
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman had a fairly seamless transition back to the Chiefs after he was acquired in a November trade with the Jets.
But Hardman said he noticed one big change upon returning to the Chiefs. It was the leadership shown by tight end Travis Kelce.
Hardman joined the “Pivot Podcast” this week and talked about Kelce’s stirring message the night before Super Bowl LVIII.
“When I got back the leader he was was three, four times more powerful than it’d been since I’d been there. Off The Charts, bro,” said Hardman, who was drafted by the Chiefs in 2018 and played four seasons in KC before signing as a free agent with the Jets. “Like, I mean, the way he was leading practices. ...
“His speech before the game, bro, Saturday. Like, let’s go through a wall. Like this is crazy.”
Hardman said Kelce was in tears at one point and other times he passionately raised his voice.
It was that emotion that led to Kelce’s sideline outburst directed at coach Andy Reid, Hardman believes. Kelce wasn’t angry, Hardman noted, it was just that Kelce badly wanted to win the game.
That passion carried over to halftime. The Chiefs trailed 10-3 and Kelce let his teammates know he wasn’t happy.
“Then we get to the locker room, he flipped the table, the train bike over, (saying) ‘This is what you want to leave out here? Let’s go get this.’ His leadership was top notch,” Hardman said. “The way he led, it was off the charts and you could see the differences even in the second half like the catches he was making and how he was getting open.”
Kelce had one reception for 1 yard at the half, but ended the game with game-highs in receptions and yards (nine for 93).
“You could feel that energy and the energy is contagious. The energy he has is contagious,” Hardman said. “He’s that spark, he’s that glue that held everybody together.”
You can watch the clip of Hardman talking about Kelce here.
