Jason Kelce and his brother Travis Kelce are no strangers to sharing their opinions with the world.

They wouldn’t have their New Heights podcast if they were afraid to say what was on their minds.

However, Jason recently caused an uproar when he made a comment about the famous racehorse, Secretariat. On his podcast, he said, “Secretariat was juiced to the gills.”

He then appeared to double down on his beliefs when he commented on X (formerly Twitter), about racehorses previously using steroids.

Jason Kelce apologizes for saying legendary racehorse Secretariat was on steroids following online backlash

His statement on the social media platform was long, but key parts about Secretariat (who died in 1989) included his admission to not having full knowledge about the horse. “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 adequate testing available to find out,” he wrote.

Jason Kelce attends event

Jason Kelce’s statement on X was extremely long. There are several important sections that refer to Secretariat and racehorses in general who allegedly have used performance-enhancing drugs. The statement continued, “But, the fact this horse had unparalleled muscular stature and died with an enlarged heart, and raced at a time when steroids were extremely prevalent, without adequate testing, raises flags in my book. Thoroughbred steroid use dates back to the 60s at least. I’m not saying what Secretariat did was unimpressive, because he was likely also racing against other majorly juiced-up horses of his time, and if Secretariat was indeed a natural horse, that would make his accomplishments all the more impressive.”

The NFL star cast doubt on Secretariat not having used steroids, claiming that this was because of “the circumstances of where the sport was at that time, how dominant the horse was in the era, and the records it still holds to this day.” He later apologized for his comments with another post on X. But the family of Secretariat have reacted with their own statement about Kelce’s allegations.

The Racehorse’s Family React To Jason Kelce’s Statements

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Secretariat was owned by Penny Tweedy Chenery, and her daughter Kate Tweedy, made a statement about the allegations that Jason Kelce made regarding steroid use.

“We, the family of Penny Chenery, strongly protest the grossly inaccurate speculation recently posted by Jason Kelce about Secretariat racing while being ‘juiced,’” the statement reads, according to Horse Racing Nation. “Kelce later admitted that he knows nothing about Secretariat and bases his opinions entirely on the fact that Secretariat belonged to an era when drug use in athletes was rampant. The fact is Secretariat was never given performance-enhancing drugs.”

Jason Kelce apologizes for saying legendary racehorse Secretariat was on steroids following online backlash

Tweedy also noted that to claim Secretariat had been given performance-enhancing drugs took away from his achievements. “What does explain his unrivaled speed and stamina is well known, if only Kelce had cared to find out before making his comments,” the statement continues. “It was the size of his heart — at 22 pounds, over twice the size of the average equine heart. It was not chemically or pathologically enlarged, just a genetic gift of nature that enabled him to run farther and faster than any horse in the last century …”

The statement concluded that Jason Kelce, being an athlete himself, and having the fame that he has, “places on him the responsibility not to assert facts he has no information about.”