NFL fans expressed sorrow and heartbreak after Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce gave a concerning announcement about his health.
Last year, the former All-Pro center said in an X/Twitter post that he “can virtually guarantee that I have CTE, all the research would suggest I have some degree of it.” Kelce spent his entire playing career (2011 to 2023) with the Philadelphia Eagles and was remarkably durable, suiting up for 193 games.
Research indicates that CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is likely caused by repeated hits to the head. It can only be diagnosed after death during an autopsy, and researchers have found CTE in more than 300 former NFL players.
The ML Football X/Twitter account reposted Kelce’s old quote about him likely having CTE earlier this week, leading to some heartbreaking responses from fans.
“Jason Kelce suffering from CTE is heartbreaking news,” a user said.
“Sad to hear. If so, so many Tush Pushes as a center certainly played a factor. Is it time to rethink player safety on that play?” asked another.
“Tough to hear but not surprising after years in the trenches,” a fan said.
“That’s so sad,” another commented.
“As a Giants fan. Feeling for him rn. Prayers up 🙏🏽,” a fan wrote.
“Given his position, that wouldn’t surprise me sadly,” said another.
The 37-year-old Kelce missed all but two games in his 2012 sophomore year and four games in 2014. But from 2015 onward, the future Hall of Fame inductee never missed another NFL contest.
Jason Kelce Has Found Plenty Of Success Following His Playing Career
Last August, news broke that Jason and his younger brother, Travis Kelce, agreed to a lucrative deal with Amazon’s Wondery worth over $100 million for the rights to their “New Heights” podcast.
Kelce also signed a deal with ESPN to work on their “Monday Night Countdown” program. He’ll be back at it when ESPN airs the Minnesota Vikings-Chicago Bears Week 1 game at Soldier Field on Sept. 8.
