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Jason Kelce had longtime Eagles' trainer battling cancer tape his ankles for retirement speech

Published  March 6, 2024 7:47am EST
Philadelphia Eagles
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Eagles legend Jason Kelce announces his retirement after 13 seasons

In an speech filled with emotion, Jason Kelce announced that he is retiring from the NFL after playing all 13 of his seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

PHILADELPHIA - Joe O'Pella, a longtime Eagles' trainer turned lifelong friend of Jason Kelce's, said he taped up Kelce's ankles for his retirement press conference after he missed his last game as he underwent cancer treatment.

O'Pella, who is entering his 16th season with the Birds, shared the heartwarming story in an Instagram post with an accompanying picture of him giving Kelce a peck on the cheek. 

"I taped this guy's ankles and thumbs every day for 13 seasons," said O'Pella. "When he told me he would be retiring and I expressed my regret of being the last person to tape him, he offered to have me tape him for his retirement press conference." 

O'Pella, who, according to his bio on the Eagles' website, lives in Haverford with his wife and twin sons, wrote about urging the Eagles' training staff to allow him to handle Kelce's rehab after he tore his knee in his second season with the team. 

"What would occur over the next 12+ years would certainly impact my life in a way I never imagined," O'Pella wrote. 

He shared the "indescribable" off-field bond that he and Kelce shared that extended to his family. O'Pella said he was a "cornerman" for Kelce during Wingbowl, and they were by each other's side for the Polar Plunge in Sea Isle City. 

When O'Pella was diagnosed with cancer that required chemotherapy and radiation, he said Kelce offered up his shore house if he needed a getaway, and offered to pay for meal services for his family. 

JASON KELCE RETIRES

"He called me randomly when I had been home, just to check on me and chat about random things," O'Pella wrote. "That's who he is as a person." 

Kelce, 36, announced his retirement Monday during an emotional address at the NovaCare Complex. He played his entire career in Philadelphia and endeared himself to the Philadelphia-area community.