Jason Kelce has admitted he had mixed feeling while watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday.
The former Philadelphia Eagles center was one of the stars of the franchise's first Super Bowl triumph back in 2018, and he lined up opposite his brother, Travis Kelce, when they played the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL's showpiece game two years ago.
Jason and the Eagles were on the losing end of a 38-35 thriller that time, whereas the rematch at Super Bowl LIX left him torn between rooting for his former team and his brother, with whom he co-hosts the New Heights podcast.
Philadelphia ran out comfortable winners in the Super Bowl rematch, seeing off Patrick Mahomes and co. in a 40-22 victory in New Orleans. And the older Kelce sibling, who retired at the end of the 2023 season, expressed his conflicting feelings in a post on X.
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"Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles, my former teammates, and friends on being SB LIX Champions!!" he wrote. "There were a lot of emotions last night, and now that I’ve collected my thoughts, I’ll attempt to share them in the longest tweet ever.
"That game was odd for me to watch if I’m being completely honest. I knew it was going to be mixed emotions before, during, and after, and I now know what my parents had to deal with two years ago. On one hand, I wanted what is best for my brother, and to see his success. And on the other hand, there are so many people, teammates, and coaches, in the Philadelphia Eagles organization that I care deeply about, Many of whom I owe my own success to throughout my career."
Kelce went on top congratulate Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts – who was named the Super Bowl MVP – and head coach Nick Siriani. before discussing how sad he feels for his brother Travis.
"As for my brother, there isn’t a person I love or care about more," he said. "It has been tough to process these feelings, of course I feel for him and am always rooting for him, but I know he does not need, nor want my pity. He has amassed greatness few on this planet could ever dream of, as has his team, and they should feel pride in their accomplishments this season and in the past."
Kelce concluded the long post with "Go Birds".
But when one X user theorised out that a post congratulating the Super Bowl champions from the New Heights account – which had featured images of Kelce with his former Eagles colleagues – had been taken down by the podcast's social media team, the former Philadelphia offensive lineman moved quickly to set the record straight.
"I had Jake take that graphic down because that post had too many pictures of me," Kelce replied. "I wanted the post to be reflective of the guys who just won, not me. I didn’t win s*** in this one, it felt weird to congratulate this team with a bunch of pictures of me."
Topics: NFL, Super Bowl, Travis Kelce
Ryan Baldi