There Was Always Crying in Sports. The Kelces Made It Cool.

A tear-filled retirement announcement was just the latest instance of Jason and Travis Kelce, two of the toughest guys around, putting their emotions on full display.

Jason Kelce, who has dark hair and a large dark beard, leans his head back and cries while sitting in front of a green wall covered in Philadelphia Eagles logos.As Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the N.F.L., he cried repeatedly. That was nothing new for the veteran offensive lineman.Credit…Matt

As Jason Kelce strode to a dais on Monday to announce his retirement from the N.F.L. after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, he appeared to be playing the role of traditional masculinity to perfection.

His face framed by his familiar Bunyan-esque beard, Mr. Kelce wore a cutoff T-shirt, sandals and a gold Rolex. Taking a seat behind a microphone, he thanked everyone for coming. And then he began to cry.

“Oh, man,” he said through tears. “This is going to be long.”

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Scott Cacciola writes features and profiles of people in the worlds of sports and entertainment for the Styles section of The Times. More about Scott Cacciola

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