Whatever Ed & Donna Kelce Did To Help Their Sons Become Emotionally Available Should Be Studied

Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles, and while people are lauding his accomplishments, many have also noted the impact of how emotional he was during the press conference.

Jason let the tears flow as he shared the news that he was leaving professional football.

It was striking to witness Jason’s open expression of vulnerability, compassion, and sorrow. In physical appearance, Jason is the pinnacle of stereotypical masculinity: He’s 6’3, with a full beard, broad shoulders, and major muscles. He’s devoted his life to a sport that represents American masculinity in its highest form, and there he was, weeping and sharing his innermost emotions with the world.

Whatever Ed and Donna Kelce did to help Jason and Travis be so emotionally available should be studied and celebrated.
The qualities that Mama and Papa Kelce imbued in their sons break apart any notion of toxic masculinity, as they’ve clearly raised Jason and Travis to be entirely in touch with their emotions and not afraid to share them.

Here are 3 ways these proud parents did things right and taught their boys to be emotionally available:

1. They taught their sons to be loving, supportive partners.
Both Jason and Travis speak highly of their respective partners, showing that they’re willing and able to be vulnerable in their romantic relationships.

As part of his retirement announcement, Jason told the story of meeting his wife, Kylie, after an Eagles Christmas party in 2014, calling the after-party at Buffalo Billiards, “The night my life would change forever. That night, I’d meet my future wife.”

2. They taught Travis and Jason to support each other and take pride in each other’s wins.
During his announcement, Jason touched on balancing the complex and bittersweet emotions of losing the Super Bowl to his brother’s team in 2023.

“I won’t forget falling short to the Chiefs,” Jason began, then took a deep breath and said, “This is where it’s gonna go off the rails.” He wiped tears from his eyes, before starting his sentence again.

3. The Kelces stressed the importance of prioritizing family.
Jason spoke about just how close he and Travis are, saying, “We have a small family, no cousins, one aunt, one uncle. It was really my brother and I our whole lives.”

“We did almost everything together: competed, fought, laughed, cried, and learned from each other,” he said. “We invented games — imagined ourselves as star players of that time. We’d envision making the winning plays, day after day on Coleridge Road,” he shared. “We won countless Super Bowls in our minds, before ever leaving the house.”

“There is no chance I’d be here without the bond Travis and I share,” Jason continued. “It made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and it taught me the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience, and understanding.”

That love and respect clearly extends both ways, as Travis was seen crying in the audience, and was the first person to hug his brother after he stepped off stage.