Retiring from the NFL does not have to mean leaving the football field for good. Travis and Jason Kelce’s mother, Donna, says she “can’t believe that they wouldn’t be involved with football in some capacity in the future because they love it so much.”
The loving NFL mother of two expressed her ideas on what life would be like for her boys after they retire from professional football, amid reports that Jason played his final game when his Philadelphia Eagles club was eliminated from the playoffs on January 15.
“They love the people and they love the coaches,” Donna says of what Travis and Jason value about the sport that they’ve played since they were kids. “They just love the whole aspect about it,” she adds, noting the “very small community.”
Although Jason plays center for the Eagles and Travis plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Donna claims that “everybody is very close even in different teams.” That’s just one more reason she “believes” her boys’ interest in football “will be the case” in retirement.
Donna identifies the teams and highlights their distinct characteristics. “I know them,” the proud mother starts, speaking of her “very determined” and “very focused” boys. “I believe they are capable of accomplishing everything they choose. Donna says, “I’ve seen it over and over again.” “They’re just incredibly determined, like, ‘I’m going to see this through.’ They simply never give up. They just keep marching forward.”
And, while Donna says she has “a feeling sports is going to be in there somewhere if they could,” she also mentions that it’s “fun to see” Jason be a father! “It’s just so heartening to see how he is as a father and husband,” she adds of her son, who has three kids with wife Kylie.
It’s “so heartening—unless he’s going to do an antic,” she quips, referring to Jason’s ecstatic shirtless moment that went viral after he stripped during the Chiefs’ game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 21. “But it’s funny,” she explains. “He’s a crazy good guy” and a “absolutely” entertaining father!
While Donna discussed what life would be like for her boys once they retire from the NFL, Jason spoke on his New Heights podcast on Jan. 17 about the retirement rumors that had appeared following the Eagles’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and elimination from the playoffs.
“I just don’t think you’re in a position after that game to make that judgment. “I just don’t,” Jason said. “There is too much emotion in the moment. There’s too much going on in the moment to really understand that decision.”
“I’m not trying to be dramatic to continue to draw this thing out,” he said. “I’m really not.”
Travis, too, attempted to clarify the air at a Jan. 19 press conference. “It came out that he retired, and he really didn’t say any of that,” the Chiefs tight end told reporters.
“At the end of that game, I believe everyone felt for him because they knew he had been thinking about it for a few years. The documentary depicts this. “You don’t have to go around and ask everyone,” Travis added.
“It’s been cool to see everybody appreciate who he’s been over the years this past week, but I think the big guy still got some football left if he wants it,” he said.