Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL at a press conference
Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL during a press conference on Monday — and he was five seconds into his speech before he started crying.
"Thanks for coming, guys. We'll see how long this lasts," Kelce said, before he was overcome with emotion.
"Not a good start, there we go," he said, after taking a few moments to compose himself, per the video.
The Philadelphia Eagles' center delivered a 40-minute speech
during the conference, thanking all those around him for their support throughout
his 13-year career with the team.
Kelce's wife, his parents, and his younger brother, Travis
Kelce, were all in attendance, per ESPN.
Despite wearing shades, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end couldn't hide his emotions during his brother's speech either, photos show.
"We have a small family, no cousins, one aunt, one
uncle. It was really my brother and I our whole lives," Kelce said.
"We did almost everything together — competed, fought, laughed, cried, and
learned from each other. We invented games, imagined ourselves as star players
of that time."
Kelce added that there was "no chance" he'd be
where he is today without the bond he shared with his younger brother.
"It made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and taught me
the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience, and understanding," Kelce
said. "It's only too poetic that I found my career being fulfilled in the
city of brotherly love. I knew that relationship all too well."
During the speech, Kelce also thanked his wife, Kylie, for being by his side.
Rumors about Kelce retiring first started swirling in
January, following the Eagles' 32-9 wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
League sources told ESPN then that Kelce had informed his teammates in the postgame locker room about his plans to retire. NFL network's Mike Garafolo also posted the news on X.
