Jason Kelce’s retirement announcement outfit was very sentimental.
Jason, 36, detailed how he decided on the Monday, March 4, look in a new episode of his and brother Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast.
“A suit and tie is what most people wear, but that wouldn’t feel right,” Jason — who is known for his laid-back approach to style — told Travis, 34.
“I was like, ‘Do I wear a Cleveland Heights shirt? Do I wear an Eagles shirt?’” Jason recalled. As he looked through his options, he decided on a black tank with “holes in it.”
Jason continued: “I’ve worn this shirt in practice. I’ve lifted weights in this shirt. This shirt was a part of this journey with me more than anything else in that closet.”
Jason teamed the top with sweatpants, his signature flip-flops and taped ankles courtesy of his longtime trainer Joe O’Pella. The taping was especially important for Jason as O’Pella has been battling cancer and was unable to tape him up before his final game on January 14 because he was in treatment. “He’s been there my entire career. … Thankfully he’s in remission, but he’s looking good. He taped my ankles for the press conference one last time, so I had ankle tape on and sandals,” Jason said on “New Heights.”
O’Pella opened up about his bond with Jason via Instagram on Monday, sharing that Jason has impacted his life “in a way I never imagined.”
“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 I out … I taped this guy’s ankles and thumbs every day for 13 season, and when he played his last game in Tampa, again I couldn’t be there due to cancer. When he told me he would be retiring, I expressed my regret of not being the last person to ever tape him, and he offered to have me tape him for his retirement press conference. That’s who he is,” O’Pella wrote.
Jason completed his Monday getup with a Rolex. The timepiece was no ordinary accessory (not that a Rolex ever could be). The yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master II was a special team commission following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in 2018. The watch features a green dial and a black ceramic bezel (a nod to the Eagles’ colors) — and it comes with a $50,000 price tag.
Jason opened up about the watch and its significance last month during an appearance on the “Green Light With Chris Long” podcast. “Super Bowl rings aren’t fun to wear,” he began. “First of all, you feel kind of like a douche, a little bit, I feel like, when you’re wearing it. It feels like you’re like, ‘Oh, look at me! I won a Super Bowl!’ And they’re also really big and clunky.”
He added, “They’re not comfortable. So we all decided — along with a couple other guys on the team — let’s just have Rolexes made commemorating the Super Bowl.”
Jason’s retirement decision proved to be an emotional affair. In his speech, he spoke about his passion for the sport and his undying love for the only team he ever played on.
