Eagles legend Jason Kelce was conflicted while rooting for brother Travis during Super Bowl 59
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce reflected on his first experience as a media member during the just concluded Super Bowl week on Wednesday's episode of the "New Heights" podcast. He admitted that he felt weird throughout the entire week:
“I knew it was going to be weird going into it. It progressively got weirder as the week went on.”
This Eagles’ Super Bowl playoff run was the first that Jason Kelce had to experience since retiring from the NFL in March. He also had to experience his team's Super Bowl win from the sidelines while navigating the emotions of his brother Travis Kelce.
Jason Kelce was sharing his thoughts on his weekly podcast that he does with his brother Travis. This was the first episode since the Super Bowl. Jason shared his conflicting feelings about rooting for the Eagles and his brother Travis, who plays for their Super Bowl LIX opponent Kansas City Chiefs:
“On one hand, you played your entire life with an organization and team, a lot of people in that building, coaches, friends, teammates that you've gone through adversity with and it really makes you very, very close.”
Kelce played 13 seasons in the NFL, entirely with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in 193 games for the Eagles and won the franchise’s first Super Bowl, Super Bowl LII. As his six all-pro first-team selections attest, he was considered one of the best centers during that period. He now serves as a media analyst for ESPN.
Jason shares his view on supporting his brother Travis against the Eagles
Jason also had to root for his brother, who he has a close relationship with and does the New Heights podcast every week:
“On the other hand, you have your brother, and I've always supported you (Travis). I've always wanted you to win every step of the way, and I wanted you to win this game. I thought I made that clear."
Having to root for both his former team and his brother from the sidelines was awkward, according to the elder Kelce:
“It was weird, man. It was hard to navigate because I'm trying to like, obviously, I'm trying to say that I have people on the Eagles that I love, and I also have you, and I tried to make it known that I was rooting for you, and it felt like I couldn't be right."
It left Jason in what he felt was a lose-lose situation:
"Felt like no matter what I said, some people were gonna skew it and say that I'm rooting for the Eagles, and some people are gonna skew in and say that I was rooting for the Chiefs or Travis, and it sucks.”
This Super Bowl matchup was a rematch from Super Bowl LVII. Jason Kelce played in that game opposite his brother. It was the first big game where two brothers played against each other. Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs won that matchup 38-35.