Jason Kelce Eagles press conference | Today at 1pm

after 13 Seasons 193 games Jason Kelsey

will announce his retirement as an NFL

player his retirement from the

Philadelphia Eagles and that is a

weighty thought when you allow your mind

to drift back back to 2011 when Jason

Kelce was a 24 year-old out of the

University of Cincinnati when he was the

191st overall selection in the NFL draft

by The Eagles we bring in Barrett Brooks

who unfortunately you've been in this

situation before in your life my friend

and we're bringing a cantonian career to

a close your thoughts at this moment

about what this will mean it's it's

about standard of living is him

understanding that you know you can't

play Forever even though wants to play

Forever um he has a family I mean a big

thing his body the preparation that you

have to do and put your body under to go

into the next season you know those are

the things he's thinking about you know

relationships with his kids relationship

with his wife those are things that you

know they don't understand info players

have to think about and he's at a point

now where he has nothing else to prove

he's done it all he's won a Super Bowl

all be um he's he's been all world uh

for the past 10 years so for him to

think anything other other than all

right you know maybe I should hang him

up I mean I'm going say Well done with a

great career well done phenomenal career

Jason Kelsey wore number 60 at the

University of Cincinnati in an ironic

twist and of course number 60 for the

Philadelphia Eagles is retired it

belongs to the late great the Iron Man

himself Chuck berck and Jason Kelce will

no doubt send his number 62 into

retirement playing the same position

didn't play linebacker but he did play

center and he's going to send that

number into retirement as well Barrett

no question you know talking about you

know a guy that became a pillar you know

in Philadelphia sports I mean at this

point he could retire right now and two

years from now four years from now run

for mayor he's that iconic not just as a

guy on the field but me his speech you

know he's done everything you could do

as a pro it's time for him to start

another chapter in his life you know

whatever he wants to do whether he's you

know going to be on on TV or whatever

he's he's done just enough in his

lifetime that you know he didn't take

another breath he has been a great

individual as far as a player upstanding

citizen uh you know man of the people

great father husband he's done it all I

think man of the people really resonates

with everybody who would watch him play

and also watch him see him out in

Philadelphia Society whether he was

chugging a beer at the beach or he was

he was having fun out at the bar or uh

doing a charity work which he does and

and no security guard with him he's

walking around just him I mean whatever

he has on he may have on overalls no

shirt he's just one of those guys a

t-shirt flipflops and it's snowing

outside that's just guy he is you know

he's just one of those guys you can come

up and and and and really just just you

know come talk to him yeah very very

tangible as far as him reaching out and

and and and really being somebody that

people can connect with we should have

known perhaps

that this day was going to come today on

Monday because Jason's brother himself

an allpro himself a pro bowler Travis

Kelce is a reigning Super Bowl champ has

been in town got his haircut from Willis

the barber over the weekend with

legendary uh barber shop and and uh so

he's here he's not with Taylor Swift in

Singapore so you knew something had to

be up as I'm sure his wife Kylie their

three children his parents Ed and Donna

and Travis Kelce all in attendance today

at the NovaCare complex and this has got

to be I would think I don't know what it

was like for you when you decided that

you would no longer play NFL football

but it's a moment isn't it it definitely

is a moment you know Jason Kel has done

everything that you can want as an NFL

football player it's not you know it's

time for him to go on I mean his

family's here perfect situation and uh

enough with everybody talking about oh

you know he's handcuffing the team he's

not he's probably let him know way

before this they just wanted him to go

out his own way and and that's going out

the respect uh that he deserves with the

press conference you know us talking

about him you know those are the type of

things that he needed to to to settle

down and figure out himself you know

they gave him ample opportunity to do it

he let him know and now we're at this

point you know right after the combine

yeah when he came here in 2011 he was a

sixth round pick the

191st overall pick you were a second

round pick for goodness six and you were

a great player this guy is in the sixth

round out of the University of

Cincinnati he's supposedly undersized he

supposedly might not have the tools um

to be a full-time every down Center for

an NFL team and here we are what did it

for him what what were some of the

qualities that made him not just an

everyday player but a great player you

know what it's funny cuz um when he

first got to camp and I went back and I

did some research on him watch film on

him and I saw explosive he was but I

just thought he was undersized and not

ready for the NFL and uh you know when

they finally announced that you know

Jackson wasn't going to be starting and

that they were going to start this

rookie I'm like are you crazy he's going

to get annihilated he's going to get

murdered what do I know he comes back

plays well and I saw what they brought I

saw what he brought to the to the game

you know so definitely a great player

here is Jason Kelce walking into the

media room the theater here at the Nova

Care complex

and he will address the ass on his

future in football thanks for coming

guys we'll see how long this

lasts

not a good start there we

go there I

lay

come

on oh man this is going to be

long there I lay face up in the cool

morning's de covered grass waiting for a

whistle I knew would come at any second

knowing full well Anthony harell was a

couple yards away on the ground waiting

for the

same the foreign objects that rest upon

my shoulders and head weighed me down

and

unbalanced my awaiting

body

a

as the whistle blew I

arose turned all in one motion and ran

at my

teammate it isn't even the Collision I

remember

most but the feeling

before of what in the [ __ ] is about to

happen how is it going to feel will I

win

whenever I smell the clippings of a

freshly mowed

grass I am brought back to this

day I brought back to this

day 12 years

old

rockboro middle school first day in

pads I've been asked many times why did

I choose football What drew me to the

game and I never have an answer that

gets it

right the best way I can explain it is

what draws you to your favorite song

your favorite book it's what it makes

you

feel the seriousness of it the intensity

of it stepping on the field was the most

alive and free I had ever

felt there was a visceral feeling with

football unlike any other sport the

hairs would on my arms would stand

up the hairs on my arms would stand

up I could hit somebody run around like

a crazy lunatic and then get told good

job I love football whether it was in my

backyard with my

brother

on the playground with my friends or

suiting up on Friday nights at Cleveland

Heights High

School I love every I loved everything

about

it although I hadn't met him yet Jeff

Stalin often shares a quote his father

would tell

him more often than not the easy way is

the wrong

way football was hard much harder than

any sport I had ever played physically

and mentally and most other sports I was

bigger

faster stronger than everyone else on

the football field those traits were

matched on the lacrosse field I felt

like LeBron

James on the football field I was Billy

Hoy I loveed the challenge to football

was the joy of winning the agony of

defeat the anxiety of the unknown and

the

camaraderie

of my

teammates I'd like to thank my high

school football coaches Mike Jones Damen

creel Kahari Hicks and Gary roboli I

don't coach Robo you know who you are uh

my hockey coaches Kirk Gunther Steve

bogus and Eddie babcox and my lacrosse

coaches Felipe Gana and Ben

Beckman I'd also like to thank my band

teacher Brett Baker all of you to me

taught me countless lessons and put up

with a very young rambunctious kid that

was full of immaturity stupidity and

Cockiness I without would without

question not be where I am today without

your

efforts with me and the countless other

children you served in my brother and

I's Hometown Cleveland

Heights from Cleveland Heights I entered

the University of Cincinnati as a

walk-on as a linebacker I had no idea

what to expect but scenes from Rudy

would often raise him my

mind it became apparent immediately that

Walk-Ons would have to fight harder for

their opportunities than the rest of the

team I had no stars no investment from

the team or the coaches I'd have to earn

everything and that's good because I had

no clue what hard work was

yet knowing that I had to earn my

respect every day made me committed like

never

before in my first college weightlifting

session graduate assistant Jordan and

Roth put me through the hardest

weightlifting session I had ever been

through at the end of it he said if I

could walk around the perimeter of the

weight room holding my hands above my

head I could

leave um and if I couldn't hold my hands

above my head I'd have to stay and clean

the whole weight

room that entire year I found out later

that uh cleaning the weight room was

something I would get used

to that entire year I consider a

blessing anonio ran a tough program the

weight room was even tougher and I

redefined in my mind what working hard

actually

was they pushed me into areas of fatigue

I didn't know I had and for that

experience I am forever grateful to all

of them after red shirting my first year

marked Antonio left Cincinnati for

Michigan State and we hired upand

cominging head coach from Central

Michigan Brian

Kelly this turned out to be the biggest

turning point in my career not because

of Brian he he was great and we enjoyed

tremendous success together but because

he brought with him strength coach Paul

Longo two weeks into the winter workouts

Paul whispered to me in the middle of

warm-ups you'd make a great

Center I Shrugged it

off offensive line never in a million

years did I think I'd play that position

Paul was different as opposed to working

guys into the ground his motto was work

smarter not

harder his main goal was to improve us

as athletes and make us stronger faster

more explosive he didn't care about

anything

else once during a conditioning drill I

saw a teammate struggling to keep up

during a run so I slowed down to

encourage him and he yelled at me he

said you run this exercise the best you

can lead from the front

it's my job to take care of the

back Paul moved me to offensive line

that

spring and it ended up being the single

greatest move that ever happened to me

as a football

player there are too many people to

thank for my times at Cincinnati so I'd

like to limit it to coaches Paul Longo

Jeff Quinn Brian Kelly Mark Antonio

strength coaches Tim swanger Dave

Andrews coach krie Holmes coach Butcher

Jones as well as athletic trainer Bob

manene and orthopedic Dr Angelo

kosimo of course all of my teammates and

Friends University support staff all of

you made my time there something I

wouldn't trade for the world some of the

most enjoyable years of my

life after my senior year ended it

became apparent the NFL would be an

opportunity although few teams had

interest in a linemen that weighed 2880

pounds

lucky for me the Eagles had just hired

Howard mud a legendary coach who valued

offensive lineman for their athleticism

more than their

size having watched and emulated Jeff

Saturday in my own game it all felt Too

Perfect When the eagle selected me in

the sixth round immediately after being

drafted my agent Jason

Bernstein said you have no idea how

perfect this is you're going to fit in

great

come on you're going to fit in great in

Philadelphia this is your kind of

town 13

seasons in

Philadelphia and I look back on a career

filled with ups and

downs

I'd like to thank the four head coaches

I played for Andy Reid Chip Kelly Doug

Peterson and Nick

serani consider myself lucky to have

played for each of you I'd like to thank

Jeffrey lurry for his dedication to

building an organization that values its

employees as people and gives them the

resources necessary to

thrive I've only had one

boss so I don't know much to compare

to

but Jeffrey always made it a point to

show his appreciation and love for his

players on and more importantly off the

field I'd like to thank Hoy Roseman for

drafting me and for always working hard

to improve our team even from the other

side of the building that one

year whether it be coaches players

salary cap or the numerous other things

you control you work tirelessly and

calculatedly to improve improve this

organization I'd like to thank Big D

dandro truly the life force of this

organization no one gives more time and

energy to this team at the drop of a hat

Dom is by your side my family and I give

our sincerest thank yous for always

treating us with dignity and

assistance there are so many teammates

coaches abort staff trainers equipment

cafeteria workers you guys have no idea

the amount of people in this building it

takes to assist our players and

me I'd like to thank you all by name but

we' be here far too long for anyone to

continue listening so instead I will

share memories if that's all right with

you all when I look back down the road