Jason Kelce officially hung up the cleats Monday, announcing his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons.
A few reporters on the scene noticed that Kelce had his ankles taped up for his retirement press conference, just as he did for every Philadelphia Eagles game day. On Tuesday night, the sports world finally learned why.
Eagles athletic trainer Joe O’Pella explained that he taped up Kelce’s ankles before he addressed the media because O’Pella missed the center’s last NFL game while undergoing treatment for cancer.
“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. “And he called me randomly when I had been home, too sick to come in because of chemo, just to check on me and chat about random things.
“... I taped this guy’s ankles and thumbs everyday 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.”
What a powerful story.
It’s a cliché in sports to say an athlete is an even better person off the field than performer on it. But for Kelce, it definitely appears to be the case.
