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Jason Kelce and Joel Embiid deserve a break for their arguments on Saturday


Jason Kelce and Joel Embiid deserve a break for their arguments on Saturday

Jason Kelce (left) and Joel Embiid (right). Kelce Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports. Mandatory attribution: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesJason Kelce (left) and Joel Embiid (right). Kelce Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports. Mandatory attribution: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

It wasn't exactly a great day for the Philadelphia athletes on Saturday.

After appearing on ESPN College GameDay, former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jason Kelce was caught on cell phone video grabbing a Penn State fan's phone and throwing it after the fan made a homophobic call to Kelce's brother, Travis Slander over relationship with Taylor Swift.

Later, after the Philadelphia 76ers lost 4-1 to the Memphis Grizzles on their home court, center Joel Embiid shoved Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes in a locker room altercation. The problem arose because Hayes editorialized the death of Embiid's brother and the birth of his son.

The NBA is reportedly investigating the altercation. As the argument became heated, Hayes apologized to Embiid and updated the column.

While both men have had their moments in the viral spotlight, both deserve a break this time. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love. After all, these two men were just defending their brothers. Isn't that what Philly is all about?

Saturday was a full day of sports. We had a whole bunch of college football games, NHL and NBA. Inside the white lines, Saturday gave us big upsets as Louisville defeated Clemson football. We had buzzer-beaters as Donovan Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 7-0. But the real story from the world of sports on Saturday was about protecting his brother no matter what.

Therefore, Kelce and Embiid should both get a pass.

Kelce's moment was captured on video, which always seems dire when we talk about possible consequences, especially in light of public opinion. But hopefully the boy who instigated it learned a valuable lesson on Saturday.

Play around and find out. Anyway, the saying goes something like this.

Just hours later, Hayes learned the exact same lesson in the Philadelphia locker room. It's probably not a good idea to talk about a man's son and late brother in an article that has nothing to do with his family. There was no good reason to use Embiid's family against him to prove a point about basketball.

It's fair to say that the kid on the Penn State campus who stalked Kelce and whose phone was promptly blown to shreds was probably taking it lightly. After reading Hayes' column, it's fair to say he did it too.

Physical altercations are rarely a recommended way forward. But today's lesson is about not poking the bear. Especially when these bears are big, strong professional athletes. Leave people's families alone. It's really not that hard.

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