Jason Kelce seen at his own lookalike contest in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl

All right, welcome in though. Seven times. Stepson. Oh, thanks for coming, guys. See how long this lasts. Not *** good start, Ariel there. I lay, oh man, this is gonna be long there. I lay face up in the cool morning’s dew covered grass waiting for *** whistle. I knew would come at any second. Knowing full well, Anthony Horrell was *** couple of yards away on the ground waiting for the same. The foreign objects that rest upon my shoulders and head weighed me down and unbalanced my awaiting body. Hi, there’s *** whistle blew. I rose turned all in one motion and ran at my teammate. It isn’t even the collision. I remember most, but the feeling before of what in the *** is about to happen? How is it going to feel? Will I win? Ah Whenever I smell the clippings of *** freshly mowed grass, I am brought back to this day. I brought back to this day 12 years old crouch, bro, middle school, first day pads. I’ve been asked many times, why did I choose football? What drew me to the game? And I never have an answer. That gets it right. The best way I can explain it is what draws you to your favorite song, your favorite book. It’s what it makes you feel. The seriousness of it. The intensity of it stepping on the field was the most alive and free. I had ever felt there was *** visceral feeling with football. Unlike any other sport, the hairs on my arms would stand up, the hairs on my arms would stand up. I could hit somebody run around like *** crazy lunatic and then get told good job. I love football, whether it was in my backyard with my brother on the playground with my friends or shooting up on Friday nights at Cleveland Heights High School. I love, I loved everything about it, although I hadn’t met him yet. Jeff Stalin often shares *** quote. His father would tell him more often than not. The easy way is the wrong way. Football was hard, much harder than any sport I had ever played physically and mentally in most other sports, I was bigger, faster, stronger than everyone else on the football field. Those traits were matched on the lacrosse field. I felt like lebron James on the football field. That was Billy Hoyle. I love the challenge. That football was the joy of winning, the agony of defeat, the anxiety of the unknown and the camaraderie of my teammates. I’d like to say my high school football coaches, Mike Jones, Damian Creo, Khari Hicks and Gary Robollo. I don’t uh coach Robo. You know, you are, uh, my hockey coaches, Kurt Gunther, Steve Bogus and Eddie Babcock and my lacrosse coaches, Felipe Quiana and Ben Beckman. I’d also like to thank my band teacher, Brett Baker. All of you taught me, taught me countless lessons and put up with *** very young rambunctious kid that was full of immaturity, stupidity and cockiness. I would without question, not be where I am today without your efforts with me and the countless other Children who served in my brother and I’s hometown Cleveland Heights from Cleveland Heights. I entered the University of Cincinnati as *** walk on. It’s *** linebacker. I had no idea what to expect. But scenes from Rudy would often race in my mind. I became *** parent immediately that walk-ons would have to fight harder for their opportunities than the rest of the team. I had no stars, no investment from the team or the coaches, I’d have to earn everything and that’s good because I had no clue what hard work was. Yet, knowing that I had to earn my respect every day made me committed like never before in my first college weightlifting session. J graduate assistant Jordan Roth put me through the hardest weightlifting session I had ever been through at the end of it. He said, if I could walk around the perimeter of the weight room, holding my hands above my head, I could leave. Um And if I couldn’t hold my hands above my head. I’d have to stay and clean the whole weight room an entire year. Uh, I found out later that, uh, cleaning the weight room was something I would get used to. That entire year. I consider *** blessing d’antonio ran *** tough program. The weight room was even tougher and I redefined in my mind. What? Working hard actually was. They pushed me into areas of fatigue. I didn’t know I had and for that experience, I am forever grateful to all of them after redshirting my first year mark d’antonio left Cincinnati for Michigan State and we hired up and coming head coach from central Michigan. Brian Kelly, this turned out to be the biggest turning point in my career, not because of Brian. He was great and we enjoyed tremendous success together, but because he brought with him strength coach Paul Longo, two weeks in the winter workouts. Paul whispered to me in the middle of warmups. You’d make *** great center there. I shrugged it off offensive line. Never in *** million years did I think I’d play that position. Paul was different as opposed to working guys into the ground. His motto was worked smarter, not harder. His main goal was to improve us as athletes and make us stronger, faster, more explosive. He didn’t care about anything else. Once during *** conditioning drill, I saw *** teammate struggling to keep up during *** run, so I slowed down to encourage him and he yelled at me. He said, you run this exercise the best you can lead from the front. It’s my job to take care of the back. Paul moved off into line that spring and it ended up being the single greatest move that ever happened to me as *** football player. There are too many people to thank for my times in Cincinnati. So I’d like to limit it to coaches, Paul Longo, Jeff Quinn, Brian Kelly Mark d’antonio strength coaches, Tim Swinger, Dave Andrews coach carry Collins coach Butch Jones, as well as athletic trainer, Bob Man Jean and orthopedic, Doctor Angelo Colosimo. Of course, all of my teammates and friends, university support staff, all of you made my time there. Something I wouldn’t trade for the world. Some of the most enjoyable years of my life after my senior year ended, it became apparent the NFL would be an opportunity although few teams had interest in *** lineman that weighed 280 80 pounds. Lucky for me, the Eagles had just hired Howard Mudd, *** legendary coach who valued offensive linemen for their athleticism more than their size, having watched and emulated Jeff Saturday in my own game. It all felt too perfect when the Eagles selected me in the sixth round immediately after being drafted, my agent, Jason Bernstein said you have no idea how perfect this is. You’re going to fit in. Great come, you’re gonna fit in great in Philadelphia. This is your kind of town 13 seasons in Philadelphia. And I look back on *** career filled with ups and downs. I’d like to thank the four head coaches I played for Andy Reid, Chip, Kelly Doug Peterson and Nick Ceriani, consider myself lucky to have played for each of you. I’d like to thank Jeffrey Lurie for his dedication to building an organization that values its employees as people and gives them the resources necessary to thrive. I’ve only had one boss. So I don’t know much to compare to, but Jeffrey always made it *** point to show his appreciation and love for his players on and more importantly, off the field. I’d like to thank Holly Roseman for drafting me and we’re always working hard to improve our team even from the other side of the building that one year, whether it be coaches, players, salary cap or the numerous other things you control, you work tirelessly and calculatedly to improve this organization. I’d like to thank Big Dom de Sandro. Truly the life force of this organization. No one gives more time and energy to this team at the drop of *** hat. Tom is by your side, my family and I give our sincerest thank yous for always treating us with dignity and assistance. There are so many teammates, coaches, support staff, trainers, equipment, cafeteria workers, you guys have no idea the amount of people in this building it takes to assist our players and me. I would like to thank you all by name, but we’d be here far too long for anyone to continue listening. So instead I will share memories if that’s all right with you all. When I look back down the road, I’m sure there are things I will forget. But these are some of the things I’m sure I won’t, I won’t forget the call I got from Andy Reid on draft day. And my father rushing into the room with tears streaming down his face as his son’s dreams had just been realized. It had just been announced on TV. I had been drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles and I won’t forget two years later, that same man and my brother received me *** call and him being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. This time, the tears streaming down both my father and I’s face as my brother had just realized his own. Ty won’t forget. The first time I saw Jason Peters do *** one on one pass set with Trent Cole and being amazed at the speed balance and power. I just witnessed it reminded me or looked like *** grizzly bear wrestling *** panther. It was so impressive. It made me question if I was good enough to play it in this league. I watched the next couple of guys go and thought, ok, I can do this. I won’t forget thirsty Thursdays at 879 *** bar owned by Brent Selleck and Todd Harriman’s that stayed open *** whole six months because nobody paid for *** drink, poor business practices. Indeed, that bar may have closed quickly, but the friendships at Ford remain open to this day. I won’t forget my second training camp, walking downstairs in my Lehigh dorm to paramedics rushing in and coach Dave Cully’s look on his face and made the expression like he had seen *** ghost *** whole lot clearer. I asked if I can help and he said, no, just go to practice. No, we find out later practice that Garrett Reid had passed away only *** few hours after that, Andy addressed the team. It’s the most intense moment I’ve ever shared with *** group of men and the outpouring of support and love for my friend and the Reed family at the funeral. Soon after it was truly remarkable. I won’t forget Chip Kelly’s first game as Eagles head coach against the Washington Redskins. We ran close to 50 plays in the first half. We were so tired but it didn’t matter because they couldn’t stop us. The NFL had never seen something like this before. I remember all of us thinking after that game, this is gonna change the NFL. I won’t forget walking out onto *** snowless field before warm ups against the Detroit Lions and then walking out of the tunnel to *** blizzard, the Lions and white jerseys blended into the snow so well, I could not see the secondary of the defense and the second half was all the Shawn mccoy. He somehow figured out *** way to cut out *** dime that day. And man, it was incredible to watch. It was probably the most fun game of football I’ve ever been in. It felt like we were all kids again that day, just playing in the backyard. I won’t forget finding out in the 2017 Rams game that Carson Wentz to tore his AC L. The whole team had an uneasy feeling in the locker room. All of us questioning what this would mean until Malcolm Jenkins addressed the team. He gave *** very typical Malcolm speech invoking confidence in who we were and breaking it down with this patented, we all we got, we all we need. I won’t forget Nick Foles having the game of his life on the biggest stage possible. And the biggest dick on the team going up to Doug Peterson and asking for the Philly special and Doug Peterson having the biggest balls in the stadium to say, yeah, let’s do it. And Brandon Graham finding *** way to stop Tom Brady once, literally once and the way the ball hung in the air on that last Hill, Mary and how it felt like an eternity just walking. No sound. Registering completely engulfed in the moment when it finally landed, running out to the field, looking for *** flag. Anything that would mean it was over. We had done it. I won’t forget the parade and what it meant to the city of Philadelphia, the joy that brought our community and the closure gave us so many the stories from fans that had been waiting generations for that moment, fulfilled that triumph to another level on the route. I remember meeting *** woman with ashes of *** dead relative whom she had promised wouldn’t miss the parade if the Eagles had ever won it.

Jason Kelce seen at his own lookalike contest in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl

Updated: 4:38 PM EST Feb 4, 2025

Former NFL player Jason Kelce was spotted in New Orleans on Tuesday, just days before Super Bowl LIX.Video Above: Jason Kelce delivers retirement announcement in an epic love letter to footballThe former Philadelphia Eagles center made an appearance at his own lookalike contest, which took place on Burgundy Street between St. Louis and Toulouse streets. The Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will meet again on Sunday at Caesars Superdome. The two teams faced off in Super Bowl LVII, the first championship game ever to feature two brothers playing on opposing squads, with Travis Kelce and the Chiefs ending up victorious that time. Jason Kelce has since retired. So, who will he support in the big game? Kelce announced he has split loyalties.

Former NFL player Jason Kelce was spotted in New Orleans on Tuesday, just days before Super Bowl LIX.

Video Above: Jason Kelce delivers retirement announcement in an epic love letter to football

The former Philadelphia Eagles center made an appearance at his own lookalike contest, which took place on Burgundy Street between St. Louis and Toulouse streets.

The Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will meet again on Sunday at Caesars Superdome. The two teams faced off in Super Bowl LVII, the first championship game ever to feature two brothers playing on opposing squads, with Travis Kelce and the Chiefs ending up victorious that time.

Jason Kelce has since retired. So, who will he support in the big game? Kelce announced he has split loyalties.