Jason Kelce forced to make hilarious apology after accusing legendary racehorse Secretariat of cheating over 50 years ago
A tangent from the latest episode of the New Heights podcast has forced Jason Kelce to apologize for starting a debate over whether or not Secretariat was on the job.
Yes, surprisingly, the now-retired Eagles center decided to speak out in 2024 about the doping habits of the horse who won the Triple Crown in 1973 and died in 1989.
That’s because his brother, Travis, attended the Kentucky Derby — and their discussion about the derby led to a conversation about horse racing.
“Secretariat was squeezed to the gills,” Kelce claimed on the podcast. “The Secretariat happens to be in the heart of the steroid era.
“(In) 1973, every NFL player, every baseball player was squeezed to the gills. Don’t you think Secretariat was a goddamn king? Of course it is the fastest horse of all time.
Jason Kelce opened up about his belief that Secretariat, the racehorse, was gone
Secretariat is perhaps the most famous and largest horse in American history
“They didn’t test Secretariat the same way they tested Mystik Dan. Nobody talks about it. The secretariat used doping, there is no chance that the secretariat did not use doping.’
Jason then continued the discussion on his Twitter account, where he received negative responses from those who would not tolerate the name of the most famous racehorse in American history being smeared.
Secretariat is one of thirteen horses to win the American Triple Crown of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. In the third race, Secretariat beat the rest of the pack by a whopping 31 lengths – which still stands as the American record for a 2.4-mile dirt race.
One person tried to use the argument that Secretariat had a naturally enlarged heart, but Kelce didn’t budge.
“I’m just going to put this out there, you know who else has an enlarged heart. People who use large amounts of steroids,” Jason posted.
‘I must admit that I don’t know whether Secretariat was taking steroids or not. That’s impossible to know because in 1973, when Secretariat won the triple crown, there were no adequate tests available to find out.
‘But the fact that this horse had unparalleled muscular stature, died with an enlarged heart and raced at a time when steroids were extremely widespread, without adequate testing, raises flags in my book.
‘Throughout blood steroid use dates back to at least the 1960s. I’m not saying that what Secretariat did wasn’t impressive, because he was probably also racing against other highly strung horses of his era, and if Secretariat was indeed a natural horse, that would make his performance all the more impressive.
The discussion arose after Jason’s brother, Travis, attended the Kentucky Derby
Kelce showed up at the Run for the Roses in a white pinstripe suit and a dark fedora
‘I find it highly unlikely given the circumstances the sport was in at the time, how dominant the horse was at the time and the records it still holds to this day. The enlarged heart in my head is actually more evidence that the horse was emptied at some point.
‘There is a gene that some Thoroughbreds carry that causes a bigger heart, but this wasn’t just a bigger heart, this was a heart big enough for the vet to say it was the biggest heart he had seen. had ever seen.
‘The horse was undoubtedly born with incredible natural mechanics and abilities, and may have been natural, but I also think it is unlikely given the time it raced and what happened to many of those horses and the lack of testing available.’
Jason posted a few more messages before issuing an apology, reversing his position.
“I’m sorry everyone, I didn’t mean to rile people up, I really thought it was just known that steroid use was widespread in the 1970s,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’m not trying to take away the legacy of Secretariat, or anyone else, from that era.
“You’re right, without proof it’s unfair to assume these things publicly, I apologize.”