Travis Kelce reveals how failed drug test kicked him into TE room from QB - "Gotta tighten the f**k up"
Travis Kelce learned the hard way that setbacks can lead to glory.
The two-time Super Bowl champion recently shared that he was once a quarterback/tight end for the Cincinnati Bearcats. However, he was suspended from the team after a failed drug test before the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Kelce shared in a recent episode of Barstool Sports’ "Bussin’ With the Boys Podcast":
"I got kicked out of college because of it. I partied a little too much down there, got hit with a drug test, and from that point on, I realized I gotta tighten the f---- up."
The suspension relegated him to tight end. Before the failed test, Travis Kelce also played quarterback out of the Wildcat formation, popularized by the 2008 Miami Dolphins.
He added:
"What it did was it really kicked me into the tight end room. I was still playing QB then. It was like, 'Alright, you can come walk on the team, but we don't need a quarterback. You can just be an athlete on scout team for a year, we'll figure it out.'"
Travis Kelce credits his older brother for reviving his football career
Travis Kelce added that he was grateful for his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, for having his back during the suspension.
The older Kelce also played for Cincinnati from 2006 to 2010. The seven-time All-Pro tight end shared how Jason helped him get his football journey back on track before Super Bowl LVII.
"He went into the coaches office and talked to numerous coaches to try and give me another chance. I'm forever in debt to this guy for putting his name, our name -- the Kelce name -- on the line. When I say I owe it all to him, I really do."
While the Ohio native used the suspension to clean up his act, it did not lead to instant success. Travis only had 150 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games during his redshirt junior year.
The following season, he had a breakout year with 722 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games for Cincinnati. That output led the Kansas City Chiefs to select him in the third round (63rd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Travis Kelce didn’t have a smooth ride at the beginning of his NFL career. He was placed on injured reserve after season-ending knee surgery during his rookie year, limiting him to one snap on special teams.
Since then, however, he has become an unstoppable weapon on the Kansas City offense. He had his first 1,000-yard season in 2016 (1,125) and caught four touchdowns. Those numbers merited him his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro selections.
Fast forward to 2023, and he has had seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at tight end.
Travis Kelce also established the most receiving yards in a season by a tight end (1,416) in 2020. He also has three seasons with at least 100 receptions, the most by any NFL tight end.