Philadelphia Eagles trainer Joe O’Pella has revealed why Jason Kelce’s ankles were taped during his retirement press conference on Monday.
Kelce announced his retirement in front of reporters, family, and friends this week, calling it quits on the game he’s been part of for well over a decade. But fans noticed that he was taped up as if he was going to play.
O’Pella revealed the reason for said appearance in a heartwarming post in which he revealed he missed the Eagles’ last game of the season due to a cancer diagnosis and chemo treatment. The trainer was heartbroken over not getting to tape Jason up for his last game after he found out he was retiring, so the center let him do it again one last time.
“I remember back in Jason’s 2nd year, when he tore his knee, I went to the head trainer and told him that I needed to do his rehab because he needed to be treated like an athlete, not a conventional offensive lineman. What would occur over the next 12+ years would certainly impact my life in a way I never imagined,” he wrote.
“You all know about the on-field accomplishments, and many of the off-field ones, too, but what this man has meant to me and now my family over the past decade plus is nearly indescribable… In what would be his final season, when I was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo radiation and chemo, he offered his shore house if I needed to get away, and offered to pay for meal services to help my wife and me out, and he called me randomly when I had been home, too sick to come in because of chemo, just to check on me and chat about random things.
“That’s who he is as a person.
“I taped this guy’s ankles and thumbs everyday for 13 seasons, and when he played his last game in Tampa, again I couldn’t be there due to cancer. And when he told me he would be retiring and I expressed my regret of not being the last person to ever tape him, he offered to have me tape him for his retirement press conference. That’s who he is. And I hope these stories can add to an already unbelievable legacy.”
Kelce is known for his big heart, and this story is just one of the reasons he is beloved in Philadelphia.
The center spent his entire 13-year career with the Eagles, helping them win a Super Bowl in 2018. He earned six First-Team All-Pro and seven Pro Bowl honors in the process and is thought to be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.
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He will definitely be missed.
