Andy Reid never understood what happened after Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart hit Travis Kelce during the NFL season opener. The Chiefs’ head coach believes officials should have issued an ejection and he is upset they didn’t.
On Friday, Tart struck Kelce hard in the head. Reid reacted immediately, surprised that the action had no real consequence.
A move Reid couldn’t understand
According to the New York Post, Reid told reporters on Monday he doesn’t understand the rule that allowed it.
“I don’t get that rule… I guess it was an open hand, a fist, whatever, I don’t know. I don’t know how they made that decision. But he definitely took a pretty good shot to the head, whether it was open hand or closed fist.”
Later, Reid explained he would take the matter up with the NFL. “I’ll resolve that with the league. I can’t get into all that,” he said.
Terry McAulay explains why Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart wasn’t ejected for this swing at Travis Kelce.
“According to Walt Anderson, they said because it was an open hand contact to the head, that was not disqualifying action.” pic.twitter.com/Ke2KsUxg54— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2025
After the hit on Kelce, officials penalized Tart for unnecessary roughness, but they let him stay in the game. Rules analyst Terry McAuley discussed the decision during Friday’s broadcast.
“According to Walt Anderson (NFL officiating rules analyst), because it was an open-hand contact to the head, it was not considered an ejection-worthy act. In this case, they felt it was just an open-hand blow, not a closed fist, not a punch, and that’s why they didn’t eject him,” McAuley said.
The league may later clarify the rules behind that decision. For now, Reid’s priority is preparing the Chiefs for their next matchup against the Eagles on Sunday.
