KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former NFL star and Cleveland Heights native Jason Kelce apologized Monday after smashing a man's cellphone when he made a gay slur to Kelce's brother, Travis Kelce.

The incident occurred Saturday before the Ohio State-Penn State football game in State College, Pennsylvania. Videos posted on social media showed Kelce walking through a crowd outside Beaver Stadium, closely followed by an unruly fan recording on his cellphone.

The fan used a homosexual slur about Travis Kelce. Jason Kelce quickly turned around, grabbed the man's phone and slammed it to the ground. Another person in the crowd intervened and prevented the situation from escalating.

“I think everyone saw on social media what happened this week,” Kelce said before ESPN's broadcast of Monday's Buccaneers-Chiefs game, in which Travis Kelce played for Kansas City. “Look, I’m not happy with anything that happened. I'm not proud of it. In a heated moment I decided to meet hate with hate and I just don't think that's a productive thing to do, I really don't. I don't think it creates a discourse and that it's the right way to do things. In that moment I fell to a level I shouldn't have.

“The bottom line is that I try to live my life by the golden rule, that's what I've always been taught,” he said. “I try to treat people with decency and respect, and I will continue to do so.”

The reaction on social media was clearly in Jason Kelce's favor, with most saying that the fan had crossed the line.

Despite the incident, it was a good year for Jason Kelce, 37, who retired after the 2023 NFL season after playing 13 seasons as a center with the Philadelphia Eagles. In addition to his work on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, he also has a successful podcast with his brother, New Heights, where he recently signed a $100 million contract. The brothers also have a limited edition Kelce Mix cereal on the market, a combination of Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms.

Before joining the NFL, Kelce played high school football at Cleveland Heights, where he graduated in 2006, and college football at the University of Cincinnati.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)