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Jason Kelce phone-smashing investigation closed after phone owner declines to come forward

NFL: NOV 25 Ravens at Chargers INGLEWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 25: ESPN sports analyst Jason Kelce before the NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers on November 25, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jason Kelce appears to be in the clear after making headlines last month by smashing a person's phone in response to an anti-gay slur.

Penn State University Police announced Tuesday that no person had come forward with a complaint about their phone being destroyed by the former Pro Bowl offensive lineman, per The Athletic:

"The individual in the video footage circulating on social media has not been identified, and no one has come forward to University Police with a related complaint about damage to personal property."

The incident occurred when Kelce was in town to appear on ESPN's "College GameDay" before Penn State faced Ohio State in a clash of then-top 5 teams. As he was being followed by a group of fans, one person walked up to him with his phone up and said "Kelce, how does it feel that your brother is a f***** for dating Taylor Swift?"

The question was in reference to Kelce's brother Travis and his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift. Kelce promptly responded by grabbing the asker's phone, smashing it to the ground, picking it up and walking away. When pursued by the person requesting his phone back, Kelce turned around and said "Who's the f**** now?"

Between his job on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, his "New Heights" podcast with Travis and, of course, the residual fame from Travis' relationship with Swift, Kelce's star has risen far above what you usually see with Hall of Fame offensive linemen. He has also attracted no shortage of trolls, such as the one he ran into at Penn State.

Kelce apologized for his behavior in an appearance on ESPN two days later:

"I'm not happy with anything that took place. I'm not proud of it. In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don't think that's a productive thing. I really don't. I don't think that it leads to discourse and it's the right way to go about things. In that moment, I fell down to a level that I shouldn't have."

The phone owner apparently wasn't proud of his part in the incident either.

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