Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce announced his retirement Monday amid a tear-soaked ode to the merits of hard work. Clad in a sleeveless T-shirt, the center aimed to leave the building in his default armor; as someone who could synonymously blend into the environment and also come to define it.
The facts we know at this point in time are all but cemented. Kelce will go down as one of the greatest players to snap a football and one of the greatest offensive linemen. Period. He will be in the Hall of Fame. He will go down as one of the greatest siblings in the history of siblings, having resuscitated the career of his wayward brother, Travis, and setting the younger Kelce up for a Hall of Fame career as well. He will go down as one of the great stewards of a football program, having achieved the impossible: unanimous likability of a city notorious for its prickliness and short memory. He will go down as one of the great ambassadors of a sacred football space, taking long stretches of time to explain the complexities of the game to inquiring reporters, and letting us in at a time when the league and most of its member clubs were intent on curbing us out. He will go down as one of the best members of a locker room, having a unique understanding of how people fit into an environment and what part he could play in making the entire orchestra run.
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