Reports surfaced earlier this week about Jason Kelce considering retirement and the Philadelphia Eagles center addressed the situation emotionally.
The 34-year-old, a father-of-three, had contemplated retirement at the end of the previous season, documenting his struggle in an Amazon Prime documentary.
Although he opted to continue for one more year by signing a contract with the Eagles for the current season, he is set to become a free agent in March. The emotional response from Kelce strongly suggests that he may be officially retiring from the NFL.
“I didn’t announce what I was doing on purpose – despite what’s been leaked to the media,” he said on his New Heights podcast with his brother Travis.
“But I think people can feel body language and stuff.
“I just don’t think you’re in a position, after a game like that, to really make that decision. I just don’t. There’s too much emotion in the moment, there’s too much going down in the moment to really fully grasp that decision.
“I’m not trying to be dramatic and continue to draw this thing out, I’m really not. It’s just something that I think – when it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future.
“It’ll be done in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals who mean a lot to me and what has led to the career I’ve had.
“And I don’t think it would be respectful or even accurate to be able to do that right after a game like that. [I’m] frustrated, I guess, at everything that’s happening but in the future there’ll be something said.”
