Crying before he uttered one word to gathered reporters, Kelce eventually went off on a 40-minute tribute to family, friends, teachers, teammates, coaches and Eagles employees who had helped him along the way.
“I announce that I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles,” an emotional Kelce said. “Thank you, Philadelphia, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me represent this city and allowing me into your homes every Sunday.”He ended the marathon meeting with one last note of love for his adopted City of Brotherly Love.
“Forever we shall all share the bond of being Philadelphians. That’s all I got,” he said before he left the podium and hugged his brother, his mom and his dad and then kissing his wife.
