Jason Kelce’s retirement announcement this week has left the city of Philadelphia and the Eagles as a whole in a sad state.
The six-time first-team All-Pro center will someday be on his way to Canton, Ohio, for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the lives he touched off the field have left him a Philadelphia sports legend. Whether it was his charity or his commitment to the Eagles Autism Foundation, Kelce’s impact on the community will long be championed around the city well past his playing days.
Probably the best story about Kelce’s off-field kindness and love for the Eagles has been brought to light in just the last 48 hours, though.
Jason Kelce Honors Eagles Trainer Battling Cancer
Eagles associate athletic trainer Joe O’Pella has been with the team since 2008 and was promoted to his current role in 2018.
He’s also battling cancer and undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.
O’Pella has known Kelce since the former sixth-round center was drafted out of Cincinnati in 2011. He helped the offensive lineman rehab from knee surgery he suffered in his second season while building a friendship that would eventually be something that impacted the trainer’s life “in a way I never imagine.”
On an Instagram post immediately following his retirement, O’Pella shared the story of how, while battling through chemo treatments, Kelce would regularly call to check on him and “offer his shore house if I needed to get away, and offered to pay for meal services to help my wife and I out.”
Due to O’Pella’s chemo treatments, he missed the Eagles’ final game of the season — a 32-9 Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that would eventually be Kelce’s final NFL game.
When Kelce gave O’Pella word that he would be retiring, the Pittsburgh graduate expressed regret he could not tape up the center for his final game.
That’s where O’Pella was wrong.
Sitting at a small table in front of the Eagles’ conference room announcing his retirement through tears, Kelce was taped up as he would be for an NFL game — something the future Hall of Famer asked O’Pella to do as a gesture to the friendship they had built over a decade ago.
Eagles trainer Joe O’Pella is battling cancer and couldn't make @JasonKelce's last game to tape him up.
So, @JasonKelce had him tape his ankles before his retirement speech one last time. 🥹💚 (via trainerjoeo/IG) pic.twitter.com/qFRgT90If2
— NFL (@NFL) March 6, 2024
“Congratulations to the entire Kelce family on a Hall of Fame career on and off the field,” O’Pella said in a lengthy Instagram post detailing the story.
“To Kylie’s husband; Wyatt, Elliotte, and Bennett’s dad; the Eagles’ center; Philadelphia’s icon, and my brother: Jason, congratulations on retirement and here’s to the future. I love ya.”
Kelce’s Further Impact on Philadelphia
O’Pella’s story on the long-time Eagles center is just one of several people can talk about when it comes to Kelce.
It’s also a perfect example of the kind of person the 36-year-old is, as Kelce looks for his next adventure in life.
While hosting his New Heights podcast with his brother Travis, Jason has still been able to run his (Be)Philly Foundation — a charity that “provides financial support and increased visibility to charitable organizations with a proven track record of improving the academic and economic outcomes of students in the Philadelphia public schools.”
KEEP READING: Jason Kelce Honored at Cleveland Cavaliers Game
Along with his continued work with the Eagles Autism Foundation with his wife, no matter where he ends up going next, whether it be with a new television deal or coaching, Kelce’s heart will seemingly stay with the people of Philadelphia and the lives he has touched along the way.
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