Jason Kelce’s decision about the future of his pro football career has finally and officially arrived. Nearly two months after news broke that Kelce, 36, planned to retire following a heartbreaking Philadelphia Eagles playoff loss, the future Hall of Fame center held a press conference to formally announce that he was leaving the game of football behind.
Kelce delivered the news in a thoughtful, emotional and tear-packed 40-minute press conference that also served as a love letter to the game of football. “Let’s see how long this lasts,” Kelce said as he sat down and burst into tears in the media room packed with reporters, Eagles head coach Nick Sirrianni and his family.
On Monday morning, Kelce tweeted that he would let the world know at noon whether he’ll play football again this fall. “No Keg videos this year, I have come to a decision and will address it at a press conference this afternoon,” Kelce’s post reads.
His tweet referenced a prank pulled by the Eagles last year that featured Kelce drinking a beer and announcing he would retire from hosting a local radio show instead of the NFL.
Kelce arrived at his press conference in a tank top and delivered a sprawling statement about the decision to hang up his helmet while also detailing many of the key memories he made during his storied football career.
The future hall-of-famer called out head coach Andy Reid for taking a chance on him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft and then later his brother Travis, who was in attendance and also in tears at the press conference.