Jason Kelce, center for the Philadelphia Eagles, retired from the NFL after the 2023-2024 season. He announced the decision in March 2024, and in Jason’s retirement speech, he gave his wife Kylie Kelce the spotlight she deserves.
That sweet sentiment isn’t the only moment that stuck out. Jason’s taped ankles could briefly be seen in a video from after his speech uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter. The strange detail had a heartfelt meaning.
Some of Jason and his brother Travis Kelce’s best brotherly moments are recounted on their podcast “New Heights.” In the episode following the retirement announcement, Jason described picking an Eagles tank top he’d worn often and told the story of his taped-up ankles.
He said, “One of the trainers of the Eagles has been battling cancer all season long. And he’s been there my entire career too, Joe O’Pella.”
After giving a health update on O’Pella, who Jason believed was in remission but not fully done with treatment yet, Jason continued the story.
“But he wasn’t able to tape me for any of the games this year, and he’s taped my ankles my whole career, so he taped my ankles for the press conference one last time.”
