On Monday afternoon, Jason Kelce held a press conference in Philadelphia to announce he was officially retiring from the NFL. The longtime Eagles center and near-Hall of Fame lock gave an emotional speech, breaking down in tears before he even got going, as the weight of calling it a career hit him in full.
In that speech, he shouted out teammates and coaches, but it was when he talked about his family that he again got tripped up by the emotion of the moment. That feeling was reciprocated by his brother Travis when the two recorded their latest episode of the New Heights show, back home in Cleveland after they were honored with a bobblehead at the Cavs game against Boston on Tuesday night. As Travis explained, the two never discussed Jason’s retirement decision much because Travis wanted to avoid selfishly pushing his brother to return for another year, tearfully explaining to his brother just what Jason’s career meant to him.
Now that Jason is officially retired, Travis reflected on what his big brother’s career has meant to him
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Travis noted that having Jason a step ahead of him in football always gave him something of a floatation device to reach for when he needed advice or someone who could understand what he was going through. Now, that’s gone and he noted it feels a bit empty, but that he’s also happy for Jason. It’s an incredibly vulnerable moment between the brothers and one that’s valuable to show to the public. It’s two of the best to ever play their respective positions, who happen to be brothers, showing their emotions and love of both the game and each other on camera. That, as much as the inside stories and funny moments, has been the best part of their podcast, and this time being in the same room only further showed that brotherly love and connection they have.