"I lost my family" - Shaquille O'Neal drops heartfelt wisdom to Jason Kelce on Philadelphia Eagles center's NFL retirement
Four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal had Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce as a guest on his podcast several weeks ago. The former NBA center gave the NFL lineman some advice concerning potentially retiring. Three weeks after he made an appearance on Shaq's podcast, Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.
Now that Kelce has retired from professional football, let's look back on what O'Neal told him about retirement on "The Big Podcast."
"My advice to you is, if you're going to retire," O'Neal said, "accept it, enjoy your family, brother. I made a lot of dumb mistakes to where I lost my family, and I didn't have anybody. That's not the case for you, so enjoy your beautiful wife, enjoy your beautiful kids and never dwell on what we had.
"What we had is what we got. You got the ring. People know who you are. Enjoy. Because, again, I was an idiot, and I talked about it a long time, I lost my whole family. I'm in a 100,000-square-foot house by myself."
Kelce's retirement has been teased by the media since the Eagles lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round. He didn't announce it immediately after the loss but many speculated that Kelce had already played his last football game.
He was seen looking emotional on the sidelines, and he reportedly told teammates in the locker room after the game that he was going to retire.
Jason Kelce leaves the NFL as one of the most decorated and beloved centers. He spent his whole career with the Eagles, who chose him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. He won one Super Bowl (LII, in 2017), is a seven-time Pro Bowler and has been named a first-team All-Pro six times.
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Shaquille O'Neal on facing issues after his retirement
Shaquille O'Neal and his ex-wife Shaunie's marriage ended even before the three-time LA Lakers champion retired from the NBA. Shaq has said that he cheated on his wife and has lamented the end of his marriage on several occasions.
His advice to Jason Kelce regarding retirement and enjoying time with his wife and kids comes from personal experience. He has been hard on himself, often blaming his own actions which led to his divorce.
These events that he experienced were what he was alluding to when he gave Kelce advice on how to handle his retirement, especially when Shaq referred to Jason's wife, Kylie, and their three kids.
Also read: "She's still my wife"- Despite being divorced for 12 years, $400,000,000 worth Shaquille O'Neal still has a soft spot for Shaunie