ESPN pundit Jason Kelce has raised question marks after seemingly giving the game away in the pregame analysis of a Monday game.
The pundit, who is the brother of Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, was discussing ESPN Bet picks for the Los Angeles Rams vs Minnesota Vikings game. Asked by fellow Monday Night Football pundit Scott Van Pelt what number he had for Matthew Stafford’s touchdown passes, Kelce gave a telling response:
I’ve got 2+ because they told me to.”
His response prompted laughter from his fellow pundits, and Kelce swiftly followed it up with: “I don’t like picking touchdowns.” Although it may have been taken in jest on the show, many social media users have not taken it so lightly, claiming it demonstrates that they are being played by sportsbooks. They believe it shows ESPN is trying to persuade viewers to pick unlikely bets.
RLinnehanSR, regulatory writer and editor for SportRadar, claimed that the segment may be “discussed by gaming commissions.” He argued that the “Massachusetts Gaming Commission has held adjudicatory hearings for less.” Linnehan highlighted a hearing in the past summer for comments by ESPN’s Rece Davis, who claimed during a segment that a bet was “risk-free.”
Many other X users weighed in on the topic. Rperth1 said the clip proves why you should “always bet against what folks being sponsored by betting sites tell you.” Another deemed Kelce’s confession “embarrassing,” while another said simply: “Yikes.”
The Rams ultimately beat the Vikings 27-9. Stafford acually completed 2 touchdown passes, meaning bettors would have cashed in on Kelce’s criticized pick.