On Monday, March 4th, Eagles center Jason Kelce held a press conference to announce his retirement after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Throughout his career, Kelce has become one of the most beloved players in the NFL. Him and his brother Travis, who plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, have gained popularity quickly over the past several years. Jason finishes his decorated career with 7 Pro Bowl honors, a Super Bowl ring, and will almost definitely be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a few years.

Kelce began his press conference Monday by trying to collect himself as he sat in tears in front of the Philadelphia media. The entire city of Philly was on pause to watch. Kelce spent a large portion of his speech thanking the city. “Thank you Philadelphia, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me represent this city and allowing me into your homes every Sunday,” said Kelce. Jason is thought of the embodiment of Philadelphia by most Eagles fans. Philadelphia is a passionate sports city, and it is often a hard place to play for professional athletes. Some even think Philly is too hard on its athletes. But Jason gets it. Jason showed up to play every week, and when the team wasn’t performing well, he was just as upset with the team as the fans were. He embraced the tough love from the city, and will always be remembered as an all-time Philadelphia Eagle.

One of Jason’s biggest accomplishments was helping bring Philadelphia their first Super Bowl championship in Super Bowl 52. “(I won’t forget) the way the ball hung in the air on that last hail mary and how it felt like an eternity. When it finally landed, running on the field, looking for a flag, anything that would mean it was over. We had done it,” explained Kelce. During his speech, he also recalled his most recent Super Bowl appearance, when the Eagles fell to Jason’s brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs. “I won’t forget falling short to the Chiefs,” Jason said as he fought back tears. “The conflicted feeling of immense heartbreak I had selfishly for myself and my teammates, and at the same time the amount of pride I had that my brother had climbed the mountain top once again.” Jason explained how he has a small family, and how close he is with Travis, his mom Donna, and his dad, Ed. He explained how he and Travis had “won countless Super Bowls in our minds before ever leaving the house.” The brotherhood Jason and Travis share is one that will never be forgotten, because of their performance on the field and their personalities off of it.

On Monday, we saw one the greatest careers in NFL history come to an end. Jason, who many consider to be the best centers of all time, is beloved by not just Eagles fans, but football fans in general. In a recent documentary, fans got an insight into Jason’s life. It shows how much his wife, Kylie, and his two young daughters mean to him. It shows all of the factors that go into deciding to retire, including wanting to be able to play with his children without pain for the rest of his life. It was not an easy decision, but even I, a huge Eagles fan, can admit it was the correct one. We all enjoyed watching Jason’s legendary career play out, and it is extremely sad to watch it come to an end. But we all wish Jason the best of luck in the next chapter of his life, and will always be thankful that we got to watch him play football.

Andrew Dougherty