Jason Kelce has a few thoughts on the greatest racehorse that ever lived, but it sounds like the former Philadelphia Eagles star wishes he kept them to himself.
Kelce’s brother Travis attended the Kentucky Derby last weekend, and the two spoke about the event for a bit on the latest episode of their “New Heights” podcast. Jason used the opportunity to share how he believes Secretariat was “juiced to the gills” when the horse won the Triple Crown in 1973. He compared the horse to athletes who dominated their sports in the steroid era.
“Secretariat just so happens to be right in the heart of the steroid era. In 1973, every NFL player, every baseball player, they were juicing them to the gills. You don’t think Secretariat was f—ing juiced to the rafters?” Kelce asked his brother. “Of course it’s the fastest horse of all time. They didn’t drug test Secretariat the way they did Mystik Dan. Nobody talks about it. Secretariat was doping. There is no chance Secretariat wasn’t doping.”
Jason is very passionate about his take that Secretariat is a juicer https://t.co/7kSMXbkuqi pic.twitter.com/SL7ufjgATj
— New Heights (@newheightshow) May 9, 2024
Jason later elaborated on his conspiracy theory with a lengthy post on social media. He went into how doctors said Secretariat had a very enlarged heart at the time of the horse’s death in 1989, which can happen to humans who use steroids.
Just going to put this out there, you know who else has enlarged hearts. People who take copious amounts of steroids. I’ll admit I don’t know whether Secretariat was on steroids or not, it’s impossible to know, because in 1973 when Secretariat won the triple crown there was not… https://t.co/QClbJKSkzD
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) May 9, 2024
The take was not a popular one. Secretariat still holds the records for the fastest times in all three major races. Since there is no proof that the horse was on steroids, many people felt it was unfair of Kelce to try to diminish the accomplishments. Kelce eventually agreed and apologized.
“I’m sorry everyone, wasn’t trying to get people riled up, I really thought it was just known that in the 70s steroid use was rampant,” Kelce wrote. “I’m not trying to take away from Secretariat’s, or anyone from that eras legacy. You’re right, without proof it is unfair to assume these things publicly, I apologize.”
I’m sorry everyone, wasn’t trying to get people riled up, I really thought it was just known that in the 70s steroid use was rampant. I’m not trying to take away from Secretariat’s, or anyone from that eras legacy. You’re right, without proof it is unfair to assume these things…
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) May 9, 2024
I agree, that’s why I said the horses accomplishments are still Valid. We all know Bonds Juiced, he’s still the greatest hitter of all time in my opinion. He also did it against a large amount of players who were also juiced. https://t.co/JdsujQbe0m
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) May 9, 2024
I’m not sure what I’m trying to prove either to be honest. I really thought all of this was just common knowledge. The horse had amazing genetics regardless of steroids https://t.co/QNAFdKEcnP
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) May 9, 2024
Kelce, who was a seven-time Pro Bowl center with the Philadelphia Eagles, is never shy about sharing his opinion on any topic. That is why he managed to land a big media job after retiring from the NFL. In this particular instance, he learned a valuable lesson about how passionate people are about Secretariat and the horse’s unmatched legacy.
