Travis Kelce’s journey to NFL stardom wasn’t just paved with his own sweat and tears. A pivotal moment came when his big brother Jason stuck his neck out for him after Travis was suspended by the Cincinnati Bearcats head coach for failing a drug test. At 20, Travis was crushed when he got the boot from the team and lost his scholarship. Even now, recalling the incident brings tears to his eyes as he remembers Jason’s heroic intervention.
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A video posted by DaCaveKast captures the Kelce brothers recounting this turning point. Jason, seeing his little brother spiraling, invited Travis to move in with him. The goal was to keep a watchful eye on Travis and help him get his act together.
However, Jason didn’t stop there. He went to bat for Travis with their then-head coach Butch Jones, pleading for another chance. Jason urged the coach to look beyond Travis’s mistake and see the talented person underneath.
“My brother came in,” Travis recounted, his eyes welling up, “like he was Superman. I don’t know what the heck he told him. I don’t know what he said. Midway through Spring ball that year, I got a call from Coach Jones saying come and meet me in my office.“
Jason Kelce couldn’t bear to watch his younger brother throw away a promising future and career. At the same time, witnessing his brother go to bat for him was a wake-up call for Travis. Hence, when Coach Jones called him in for that pivotal chat, Travis knew it was time to turn things around.
What Did Travis Kelce’s College HC Say To Him After Discussion With Jason?
When Travis was eventually called to Coach Butch Jones’ office, he was handed a tough challenge: “Maintain a 3.0 GPA. Don’t miss a single class.” For Travis, at that time, this was like asking him to climb Mount Everest.
Well, with his scholarship gone, Travis had to hustle to pay for school. Jason recalls his brother working as a telemarketer, scraping together cash. Looking back, Jason believes this rough patch was actually a blessing in disguise for Travis, giving him a front-row seat to what “adverse situations” really looked like.
By the time Jason got drafted by the Eagles in 2011, Coach Jones saw a new Travis coming forward. He welcomed him back to the team, switching the former quarterback to tight end and banking on Travis’s athletic ability. The deal with his then-head coach was to prove himself in this new role and get his scholarship back. Hence, Travis, who was already humbled by Jason’s efforts then, didn’t hesitate to grab this lifeline.
Travis then exploded onto the scene as a tight end, catching the eyes of NFL scouts. However, his past still cast a shadow, with some dubbing him a “train wreck – character-wise.” Fast forward twelve years, and the Kelce brothers made history as the first siblings to face off in a Super Bowl – not as bench warmers, but as the stars of their respective teams.
Jason always saw Travis’s potential, and watching his little brother carve out a Hall of Fame-worthy career must be incredibly satisfying. After all, it was Jason who threw Travis a lifeline, saving his career before it even took off.
