Jason Kelce has finally announced his retirement from the NFL, but his younger brother Travis Kelce is taking it especially hard.

On Monday, March 4, the 36-year-old Philadelphia Eagles centre sobbed as he announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons. “Not a good start,” he laughed through tears. During the press conference, Jason shared his vivid recollections of playing football as a child, as well as the obstacles he overcame to become a professional athlete.

In clips uploaded from the press conference on X, formerly Twitter, the older Kelce thanked everyone who had supported him along the way, including his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, his brother Travis, and his wife Kylie Kelce, all of whom were holding back tears in the crowd.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, who was seated in the first row beside his parents and sister-in-law, was even seen wiping away tears with a tissue. However, the 34-year-old athlete arrived prepared, concealing his face with a pair of dark sunglasses.

“Travis Kelce emotional during Jason Kelce’s retirement press conference,” one tweet said, accompanied by a video of Travis crying. “It was amazing to watch Jason’s family going through this alongside him. He looks at them frequently throughout the speech.”

Many admirers commented on how heartwarming it was to see Jason’s entire family cry over the announcement.

“This right here, brought tears to my eyes,” one reviewer stated.

Another concurred, adding, “Why when I see a man crying, I just want to cry with them?”

“It’s always wholesome whenever Travis talks about everything his brother has done for him,” according to a third party.

During his retirement announcement, Jason mentioned his younger brother Travis. “My brother and I shared our entire lives. We did practically everything together: competed, battled, laughed, grieved, and learned from one another,” the father of three explained.

“We devised games and regarded ourselves as famous players at the time. We envisioned making winning plays every day. Before we left the house, we had already won innumerable Super Bowls in our thoughts. And when we weren’t playing, we went to the other person’s games.”

The now-retired NFL player also commented on their 2023 Super Bowl encounter, in which the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I won’t forget falling short to the Chiefs and the conflicting feeling of immense heartbreak I had selfishly for myself and for my teammates,” Jason remarked, his eyes welling up with tears. “And at the same time the amount of pride I had that my brother had climbed the mountaintop once again.”

Jason’s retirement from the NFL was first speculated after the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January. As the game came to an end, Jason was observed standing on the sidelines in tears. He then embraced his long-time offensive line coach and took off his helmet after the game to offer his hand to his wife and father in the seats.

Jason has made 156 consecutive NFL starts, been named to six All-Pro Teams, and won one Super Bowl.