Jason Kelce Teared Up While Praising Mom Donna & Wife Kylie In NFL Retirement Speech

After weeks of speculation, Jason Kelce officially announced his plans to retire as center for the Philadelphia Eagles after 13 seasons. As the dad of three sat down for a press conference to talk about his storied career, he got emotional about the women in his life and how they helped to support him. When Kelce praised his mom Donna and wife Kylie through tears, it was a beautiful acknowledgment of all they had both done to help and encourage him in his career. And even more than that, his words confirmed that he sees and appreciates them both for the amazing women they are.

Kelce was first drafted in 2011 and has played with the Philadelphia Eagles for his entire career. He spoke emotionally about what his teammates have meant to him and everything his time with the NFL team has brought to him during his retirement speech. And one of the most amazing moments his time with the Eagles brought to him was meeting his future wife after a Christmas party in 2014.

“That night, I’d meet my future wife,” Kelce recalled through tears. “I still remember the moment she walked through the door.” He went on to describe meeting Kylie, calling her, “beautiful and smart, serious and playful.”

“It is no coincidence I have enjoyed the best years of my career with Kylie by my side,” he said, adding that she brought the best out in him, as well as “giving me three beautiful girls,” referencing 4-year-old daughter Wyatt, 3-year-old daughter Elliotte, and 1-year-old daughter Bennett. He thanks Kylie for giving him a “life that increasingly brings me more fulfillment off the field than it does on.”

As for Kelce’s mom Donna, who was at the press conference with the rest of the Kelce family including Jason’s brother Travis, he said, “I won’t forget my mother becoming mom of the NFL. A representative for all moms out there who have sacrificed so much for their children.”

Jason Kelce can often come across as a macho guy. A big guy, the guy who rips his shirt off at his brother’s football game when he drinks too much, the party guy. But he has proven to be another kind of man in his relationship with the women in his life. The man who sees them, who is grateful for them. The kind of man who cries in front of the entire world when he talks about his wife and his mom. And it’s beautiful.