After playing 13 seasons in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce announced his retirement on Monday. Speculations had circulated regarding the possibility of Kelce extending his tenure for another season, but Jason has decided to bid farewell to the NFL world.
During his retirement speech, Jason Kelce made one final gesture for his longtime trainer that won everyone’s hearts.
Jason Kelce’s final heartfelt gesture to his longtime trainer
Jason Kelce officially announced his retirement from the NFL in an emotional speech lasting over 40 minutes. Reporters noted that during the retirement speech, his ankles were taped up as they would be for an NFL game. Later, his trainer revealed that he did that for him.
Jason Kelce’s longtime trainer Joe O’Pella wasn’t there for him when he played the last game of his career because he had to go for chemo treatment. Therefore, the former Eagles star allowed him to tape up his ankles one last time before he went to announce his retirement.
“I taped this guy’s ankles and thumbs every day for 13 seasons, and when he played his last game in Tampa, again I couldn’t be there due to cancer. And when he told me he would be retiring and I expressed my regret of not being the last person to ever tape him, he offered to have me tape him for his retirement press conference. That’s who he is.”
O’Pella also shared touching moments of support from Kelce during his cancer treatment, including offering his shore house and paying for meal services, as well as checking on him regularly.
“In what would be his final season, when I was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo radiation and chemo, [Kelce] offered his shore house if I needed to get away and offered to pay for meal services to help my wife and me out,” O’Pella wrote on Instagram.
Jason Kelce’s offer to let his trainer tape his ankles for the retirement press conference exemplifies his character and the strong bond between them. This gesture shows Kelce’s compassion and appreciation for those who have supported him throughout his career.
Watch: Jason Kelce jumps on a fire table to tease podcast episode
One day after Jason Kelce announced his retirement, the former Eagles center announced the new episode of his podcast New Heights in a unique way, or we should say Jason’s way.
Jason Kelce is known for his unusual antics, which were evident when he was in the stadiums to support his brother. Now, he decided to announce his podcast episode by jumping through a burning table with the help of a Delaware County fire company.
“I’m Jason Kelce, welcome to ‘New Heights,” the former Eagles star said before he jumped off a fire truck onto a burning table.
His brother Travis Kelce was also standing there and laughing at his brother’s actions.
Travis and Jason have been doing the New Heights podcast for years where the brothers discuss different topics from games to Travis’ relationships. Now that Jason is retired from the NFL, he might be planning to focus more on this podcast.
Jason Kelce’s retirement marked the end of a successful career, including helping the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in the 2017 season and earning multiple All-Pro nods and Pro Bowl appearances. Now, fans can look forward to watching Jason embark on new career ventures.
