People say a brotherly bond lasts a lifetime, and in the case of Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, that couldn’t be more true. They’ve been attached at the hip since they were kids. And now, when they’re not playing football or breaking down games for big networks like ESPN, the Kelce duo still finds time to link up once a week to record their podcast together.
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But nothing signifies the Kelce bond more than Travis’ decision to wear 87 as his jersey number. It’s an emotional story that involves Travis getting suspended for testing positive for marijuana while in college. He was promptly removed from the football team. That was when Jason took in his little brother to help him get his life back on track.
Jason even put his name on the line for Travis and got him a second shot on the football team. After that, the rest is history. As an ode to his brother, Travis decided to wear 87 to honor him from then on, the year Jason was born.
“You’re the only reason I wear 87 anyway,” Travis told his brother a few years ago via NFL Films. “If there is a Kelce legacy, two brothers making it to the NFL, it all started in 1987. Because this big guy was born in 1987.”
It’s a heartfelt story of the Kelce family legacy. The only issue is that it’s completely untrue, according to Jason.
On Monday, the Kelce brothers hosted Charissa Thompson, who interviewed the two of them with NFL Films back in the day. One thing led to another, and the jersey number story came up. That was when Jason shared that Travis’ jersey story was all a load of BS.
“Don’t let him tell you that. It’s the biggest load of sh*t. You did not pick that number because of that. You somehow retroactively worked this in. There’s no way,” Jason said on New Heights at 4:10. “You just liked Tony Gonzales [who wore 88].”
It was a hilarious revelation that got Travis red in the face. But the tight end stood his ground and denied Jason’s accusation, insisting that his story was true. The issue was that his brother wasn’t buying it.
But how about Jason’s jersey number? Well, his story about how he chose number 13 is a bit less poetic, yet it feels more authentic.
“Growing up, I kind of liked the No. 13 for the sports that I played. But I had a football coach in middle school who once said to me, ‘The player makes the number, not the other way around.’ Since then, I’ve taken the number that was handed to me. I have an identity with 62, and I’m going to have that forever,” Jason once told the Eagles.
At the end of the day, whether it’s the number 13, 62, or 87, the Kelce brothers have made a name for themselves without relying on any of them. Jason is highly likely to be a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2029, with Travis following in his footsteps whenever he decides to retire. They’ve been a staple in the NFL community for over a decade and continue to thrive as people, too.
That’s why it was funny to hear Jason poke fun at Travis as he tried to knock him down a peg. One could tell he had been waiting to tell his brother that his story wasn’t true for years. But as they say, boys will be boys, and the Kelce brothers will always horse around when the moment calls for it.
