Jason Kelce shared powerful thoughts on fatherhood in retirement speech
Jason Kelce’s retirement speech was about more than what happened on the field during his 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was also about his family, the people who taught him to believe in himself and who have filled his life with love.
At various points in the speech, which he delivered Monday at the Eagles’ facility, Kelce thanked his mother, father, brother and wife, noting that what happens at home away from football now fulfills him more than his NFL career.
In thanking his dad, Kelce celebrated the importance of fatherhood. He said he’s striving to live up to his father’s example in his relationship with his three daughters.
“I think one of the best things a person can be in this world is a father. A father who is present, loving (and) devoted just might be the greatest gift a child can ask for in our society, and I have a (expletive) good one,” he said.
Here are other family-related quotes from Kelce’s retirement speech:
On his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
“We have a small family. No cousins, one aunt, one uncle. It was really my brother and I our whole lives. 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. We’d envision making the winning plays day after day on Coleridge Road. We won countless Super Bowls in our minds before ever leaving the house. And when we weren’t playing, we were at the other one’s games, butt seated in a lawn chair or bench, Capri Sun that mom had packed, cheering during the game and waiting outside afterward to celebrate a victory together or offer encouragement after a defeat.
“There is no chance I’d be here without the bond Travis and I share. It made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and it taught me the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience and understanding.
“It’s only too poetic I found my career being fulfilled in the City of Brotherly Love. I knew that relationship all too well.”
On his wife, Kylie McDevitt Kelce
“I think it’s no coincidence I have enjoyed the best years of my career with Kylie by my side. Every accolade I have ever received has come with her in my life. She has brought the best out of me through love, devotion, support, honesty, intelligence and of course a swift kick in the (expletive) from time to time.
“She has also given me three beautiful girls and a life that increasingly gives me more fulfillment off the field than it does on.”
On his father, Ed Kelce
“My father believed in me more than anyone. He believed in my brother, and whenever my own insecurities would arise or self-doubt would come in, he would stifle them with the warm embrace of belief, unwavering love and belief. ... He was the man and continues to be the man I strive to be.”
On his mom, Donna Kelce
“I won’t forget my mother becoming mom of the NFL, a representative for all moms out there who have sacrificed so much for their children.”
“... Mom took the opportunity to go to college and graduated from the Ohio University, worked in banking for over 40 years, climbing the corporate ladder from a teller to a VP and was largely the breadwinner for our family.
“I like to think I got my toughness, aggression and lunch pail mentality from my father and, from my mother, I learned the all-important lesson of never letting anyone tell you what you can’t do.”
