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Jason Kelce is not known to be one to cause a firestorm on social media, but Wednesday was a notable exception. On the latest episode of New Heights, the former Philadelphia Eagles center seemingly insinuated that legendary racehorse Secretariat had been using steroids throughout his career:
"Secretariat just happens to be right in the heart of the steroid era, 1973. Every NFL player, every baseball player, they were juicing them to the gills. You don’t think Secretariat was f–king juiced to the rafters?”
These comments soon evolved into major criticism, which he initially tried to explain on social media before backtracking:
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But all it did was divide the fandom even more:
Others pointed out that while Secreterariat was indeed larger than normal, it was caused by genetic deviations, not steroids:
"Secretariat had a large heart, much larger than normal. He did not have an enlarged heart, which is the result of steroid use. Two different things," one said.
"Steroids (most) often can hinder fertility," another mentioned.
"He was genetically gifted and a one in a 100 year horse. I am glad I saw him race in real time," another reminisced.
A few minutes later, Jason Kelce issued this apology:
Family of Secretariat's owner issues statement on Jason Kelce's comments on racehorse
Meanwhile, Kate and John Tweedy, the children of Secretariat's late owners Penny and Christopher Chenery, issued a statement on Jason Kelce's claims, explicitly denying that the legendary raceorse had been fed performance-enhaning drugs:
“The fact that in 1973 drugs were less regulated just underscores the exceptionality of Secretariat’s performance.
They also pointed out that his descendants have continued to dominate today's races without restorting to artificial enhancements:
"How does one explain the fact that the top three finishers in this year’s Kentucky Derby were all Secretariat descendants, as were 15 others in that same race? Or that in all major races today at least half if not three-quarers of the entrants are Secretariat descendants?"
They concluded by urging everyone to avoid making the same mistake as Jason Kelce:
"As a pro athlete, Kelce has a national platform, which places on him the responsibility not to assert facts he has no information about. We, as the inheritors of Secretariat’s proud legacy of unrivaled excellence, urge anyone who wants to discuss him on a public platform to do their homework first.”
Throughout his career, Secretariat won 16 of 21 races, including the Triple Crown in 1973 - the first time it had happened in 25 years - and finished outside the money (podium) just once: his debut in 1972.
