At 6’3” and 295 pounds, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce often towers over other people. His big bushy beard makes him look like a modern-day Paul Bunyan.
As he announced his retirement, his tears started to flow. Throughout his 40-minute speech, he hid his face behind a giant’s hands as he thanked his coaches and his band teacher for teaching him what he needed to learn to become a great football player and an even greater human being.
As he told himself “C’mon” in an attempt to control his emotions, he talked about the impact of his father, Ed Kelce. All those accolades began with involved parents. And while I credit his mother, Donna Kelce, with so much, my joy is in seeing a truly involved father as a role model for other fathers. The story of Jason’s father’s influence is a quiet one. It doesn’t contain the drama of an absent dad who leaves for a gallon of milk. The story lacks the moral outrage of a father who refuses to pay child support. There is no buffoon who can’t seem to complete the simplest of tasks.
