After playing for the Philadelphia Eagles for thirteen seasons, Jason Kelce broke the news on Monday that he would be retiring.

A career in which Kelce became not only one of the top centers of his period and played a significant role in the Eagles’ lone Super Bowl win, but also a beloved Philadelphia personality and famous podcast host, came to an end on Monday at the NovaCare Complex of the Eagles. Kelce, who is 36 years old, officially announced his retirement from the Eagles.

At a news conference that was attended by his parents, Ed and Donna, as well as his brother Travis, who was wearing sunglasses inside the auditorium, Kelce quipped, “Let’s see how long this lasts,” before he burst into tears and required several moments to recover himself. He was wearing a sleeveless Eagles T-shirt at the time.

Nick Sirianni, the coach of the Eagles, sat behind the media. Before ultimately announcing his retirement, Kelce took forty-five minutes to retrace his career, beginning with his childhood in Ohio and ending with his final days with the Eagles. During this time, he shed tears, laughed, and expressed his gratitude to the people who had the most significant impact on his life. The following are some of the most memorable moments from his emotional farewell to the sport.

After more than a decade of playing in Philadelphia, Kelce gave a speech that was quite eloquent about the city’s desire for the Eagles to win and the fan’s enthusiasm for their team. Some individuals have a difficult time playing in our city because they are unable to deal with the jeers, the media, or our fans. As a player, I count it as a great blessing to be able to compete in the most sports-oriented city in the United States.

Our organization has been pushed, energized, and motivated to take risks, correct problems, and work diligently in an effort to win as a result of the sense of urgency that exists in this community to win this competition. There are moments when you despise it as an athlete, particularly those who are new to our city; yet, if you have endured it for a certain amount of time, you grow to enjoy it. In his explanation, Kelce discussed the significance of being accountable in Philadelphia, as well as the gratifying sensation of enduring through difficult times in order to earn the trust of the fans. “The Eagles are the most talked about thing at practically every moment, and consequently, they are the most popular attractions in town.

You had better be prepared to overcome the lows that will occur, and you should also be prepared to persevere in the face of criticism, because you are going to receive that level of attention. Indeed, they will always make sure to let you know when you are not performing up to their standards. In addition, they will love you if you demonstrate effort, aggression, desire, and the drive to battle for what you want. “If you love this city as much as you love your brother, then they will love you like they love your brother.”

This was a reflection of the phone call that Kelce received on draft night from Andy Reid, who was the head coach of the Eagles at the time. Reid informed Kelce that Philadelphia had selected him 191st overall. The memory of his father “rushing into the room with tears streaming down his face as his son’s dreams had just been realized” brought tears to his eyes as he recounted the scenario. Two years later, in the third round of the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Travis Kelce, which was a scenario that was quite similar to the one described above. It was during this time that Kelce recalls crying with his father because “his brother had just realized his own dream.”

The native of Ohio reflected on his career in football, beginning with his earliest recollection of wearing football pads and the bond that the sport gave to the Kelce brothers because of their shared passion for play. As a show of solidarity for his brother, Travis was present at the NovaCare Complex on Monday. “There’s no chance I’d be here without the bond Travis and I share, it made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and taught me the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience and understanding,”

Kelce commented. “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.” My brother and I have been the only members of our family throughout our entire lives. We do not have any cousins, and we only have one aunt and one uncle.

We engaged in practically every activity together, including being competitive, arguing, laughing, crying, and learning from one another. We came up with the games. Considered ourselves to be the most prominent players from that era. Our goal would be to make the plays that would win the game. Without ever having to leave the house, we had already won a multitude of Super Bowls in our heads.