Hey, there’s a headline I never thought I’d be writing.
But there you have it. Someone on Twitter told Jason Kelce that legendary thoroughbred Secretariat wasn’t on steroids and that “His heart was 3x the size of a normal thoroughbred so he was able to supply his body with oxygen faster. His heart weighed over 20lbs when he died and normal is 8.”
Per the Courier Journal, the number was about 22 pounds and was not “pathologically enlarged,” which I’m guessing refers to the idea it could be performance enhancing drugs that helped.
But Kelce apparently had the time to write out a tweet the length of a book in response:
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 enlarged heart in my mind is actually more evidence that at some point the horse was being juiced,” he replied. “There is a gene that some thoroughbreds carry that causes a larger heart, but this wasn’t just a larger heart, this was a heart large enough for the vet to say it was the largest heart he had ever seen.”
I think he wanted us to read this Business Insider article, but fans wanted to say other things:
I feel like Kylie will give you the "get off twitter for a bit" talk that I sometimes have with my wife before we get too deep into this retirement
— Mike Stanley (@Stanimal032) May 9, 2024
— Shane (@shaneduffner) May 9, 2024
UPDATE: Here’s an apology from Kelce:
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