This weekend, Jason Kelce jetted 500 miles south of home to Charlotte where the Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on the Carolina Panthers. With a good few hours to spare before that game, the former Philadelphia Eagles center decided to take a two-hour drive to the town of Boone to catch the action between App State and James Madison. And he was rooting for the Mountaineers.
Advertisement
But why was the former Super Bowl champion cheering for App State instead of the Dukes? Appalachian Weekly News, in its post on X, explained that Kelce wanted to support Western North Carolina, which is still reeling after getting hit by the devastating Hurricane Helen. It was the least he could do.
Look at who made it to The Rock for @AppState_FB today… @JasonKelce.
He took a pic w/some of our students before the game.
Kelce says since the @Chiefs are in CLT to play the @Panthers Sunday, he wanted to come up and support Western North Carolina after the hurricane. #NFL pic.twitter.com/MLYDBQlfBF
— AWN – Appalachian Weekly News (@AppWeeklyNews) November 23, 2024
After reaching the Kidd Brewer Stadium, also known as The Rock, the future Hall of Famer took pictures with several students. Kelce also made it to the Mountaineers’ social media post, sporting a big smile while hugging the mascot of the team, Yosef.
𝐒(𝐧𝐨)𝐰 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞. 💛🖤@JasonKelce #GoApp #MountainStrong #BeatJMU pic.twitter.com/48LjkgO6N1
— App State Football (@AppState_FB) November 23, 2024
In the pictures shared, the signs of winter were visible. Recent weather reports had stated that some areas near Boone saw up to three inches of snow. Kelce would have thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Snow Game’, especially since the side he backed, App State, won 34-20.
The home team had gone into the game on the back of a 14-point loss against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The Dukes, were, on their part, trying to build on their three-game winning streak.
However, the App State players showed why their home is called The Rock. It has a reputation for being a tough venue for visiting teams, and it turned out to be the same for James Madison.
The result could possibly have been predicted looking at Kelce, who has an uncanny ability to pick the right team to support.