Jason Kelce was always the NFL’s “Ironman.” An immovable center who strung together 156 consecutive starts with the Philadelphia Eagles, defying the laws of physics and pain. However, two years after hanging up his helmet, the toll of that superhuman endurance has finally arrived at his doorstep, and the setting for his confession was not a football field, but a golf course.
The eldest of the Kelce brothers recently admitted that his body is now a map of battle scars that limit his everyday life, and only a few years after leaving the NFL has he truly begun to notice it.
“I’ve fallen in love with golf and the season is getting ready to ramp up again. Something I’ve struggled with is weakness in my ankles. Years of NFL games have destroyed my ankles; I don’t know if I’m built to wear regular golf shoes.”
The situation is so critical that conventional golf shoes do not provide the support he needs, which has led him to launch a curious YouTube project aimed at creating his own specialized footwear.
A history of pain: the price of being an “Ironman”
Although Kelce only missed significant time due to injury on two occasions during his 13 seasons, his medical history is chilling. From a torn ACL in 2012, Jason played through partial MCL tears, broken elbows, a fractured foot, and, in his penultimate season (2022), a completely torn ankle ligament.
“I can’t squat because my ankle hurts; I can’t bench press because I injured my pecs,” he confessed on his popular podcast New Heights. For an athlete who once seemed unbreakable, the physical decline has been sudden and cruel.
The confessions come just days after his wife, Kylie Kelce, stated that she would not allow anyone to bully her teaching methods and recalled her school years, when her height made her the target of classmates’ teasing until she learned to accept her body. It was then that she began using her height to respond to insulting comments.
From NFL turf to the world of Tiger Woods
Despite the physical pain, Kelce’s charisma remains intact and his media career continues to grow. The former center has confirmed that he will join the commentary team of TGL, the high-tech golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
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