Teair Tart's open-palm slap of Travis Kelce was one of the biggest stories of the LA Chargers-Kansas City Chiefs Week 1 clash in Brazil. While it likely wouldn't have changed the outcome, Chiefs fans were outraged at the lack of discipline for the Chargers' nose tackle.
It was a rare instance where the Chiefs didn't benefit from a referee's decision, which might factor into the controversy surrounding the non-call. This is uncharted territory for Kansas City fans, who desperately wanted to see Tart get punished for slapping the future Hall of Famer.
Even Chargers fans were surprised Tart wasn't ejected from the game, especially after seeing Jalen Carter get tossed from the first game of the season for spitting at Dak Prescott. However, new mic'd up footage of Derwin James on the Chargers' YouTube page may explain why the refs didn't feel the need to eject Tart.
Earlier in the game, running back Isiah Pacheco threw a not-so-subtle punch at Daiyan Henley that was not picked up on the TV broadcast. Henley confirmed after the footage released that the referees saw it, which may explain the lack of discipline for Tart.
For those wondering the ref said “ don’t worry we caught it just don’t retaliate”
— THE RANGER (@daiyan_henley11) September 10, 2025
New footage proves Chiefs threw the first punch at the Chargers (literally)
One would argue that Tart's slap was retaliation, which goes against what Henley shared. However, that was a completely different incident that was isolated. It's not like Tart struck Kelce because of the Pacheco play.
This new footage repaints the entire story of the game in a completely new light. Chiefs fans were irrate with the ruling and Andy Reid openly questioned the lack of discipline. Those complaints are a lot easier to make without the important context from earlier in the game.
Pacheco (literally) swung first, the refs saw it, and there was no punishment (not even a 15-yard penalty). It would have been extremely hypocritical for the refs to then eject Tart knowing that they let Pacheco get away with worse earlier in the game.
There is always more to the story and this justifies the refs' decision to swallow their whistles and not remove Tart from the game. The only question left remaining is why the Chiefs weren't flagged for Pacheco's obvious closed-fist punch.
It may not have changed the final outcome, but it could have. Even when the Chiefs seemingly get "robbed" by the refs, they still benefit.