Former Wales rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit recently signed a three-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back.
Looks like he’s going to have to get Travis Kelce’s brother up to speed on the Welsh.
Travis was discussing his new teammate on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast alongside brother Jason. He said that Rees-Zammit is naturally gifted and a “smart player” but offered him some words of warning, saying he’s in for a “tough few months” during the summer when practice begins and he’s competing against superstars who have been playing American football their entire lives.
Jason then chimed in and shared his understanding of Welsh people.
“When I think of Welsh, I think British people call it ‘posh’. I think of these rich, upper-class, just beautiful white people,” he said. “He is the running stereotype of what I would think of with a Welsh person. I don’t know if that’s an accurate stereotype but that’s certainly what I think of and he’s helping continue that trend in my mind.
“I’m excited to see what this guy does. I know it’s gonna be a learning curve, but I hope this guy takes the world by ****ing storm. It will be electric. With a smile like that, guy, if he works out, he’s going to be the most marketable player of all time.”
That description of Welsh people raised some eyebrows on social media. X user Nathen Amin pointed out the quote and tried to figure out what in the heck Kelce was talking about.
I've grown to really like Jason Kelce in recent months, he's such a character, but what's on about? Granted, Rees-Zammit is a well-brought up Vale of Glamorgan boy, but I'm not sure the Welsh are considered posh 😄https://t.co/sKntOzX0eG pic.twitter.com/LLkwe4y7Uu
— Nathen Amin ✒️📚 (@NathenAmin) April 18, 2024
That feedback got back to Kelce, who responded on X, saying he’s come to learn he was “incorrect” in his assessment of Wales.
Yea, I’ve come to understand, I was very incorrect on this. Based on further assessment since these incorrect statements, not sure why I had these preconceptions in my mind, but I have found that the Welsh seem exactly like my kind of people. Happy to be incredibly wrong
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) April 18, 2024
Many have pointed out that the discrepancy in Kelce’s understanding of Welsh people may be in the fact that the United Kingdom’s royal heirs have long been referred to as the Prince and Princess of Wales, a title in name only, but one that means when you think of Wales, you think of Princess Diana.