Jason Kelce made his official ESPN debut as a football commentator with a touch of the 2024 Paris Olympics, adorning himself with a navy blue beret.
The 36-year-old retired center for the Philadelphia Eagles made his first appearance on the televised show on Thursday, August 1, alongside his co-hosts Scott Van Pelt, Marcus Spears, and Ryan Clark. As they prepared to cover the Pro Football Hall of Fame game – Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears – 58-year-old Scott welcomed Jason immediately, noting his fashion statement: “We welcome you to the group, man! I wasn’t sure if you’d wear a tie; I did not know you were going to rock the beret fresh off the plane from the Olympics,” he said.
The eldest Kelce brother, who recently arrived from the ‘City of Love,’ expressed, “I’m still on Paris time, so I felt I’d go with the Paris headdress.”
Jason Kelce joins NFL Countdown rocking a souvenir from the Paris Games 😅 pic.twitter.com/5gs5gnNpWY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 1, 2024
He had been rocking this beret since his attendance at the Paris games. The girl dad was first spotted with it when meeting with the USA women’s rugby team, which he continuously supported throughout his time there. He even dressed in a button-down shirt decorated with rugby player Ilona Maher’s face on it.
Being a sports guy, going to the 2024 Olympics was definitely on his list. He expressed to the Associated Press, “When we found out that we were going to have an opportunity to go to this, the more we thought about it, we were like, ‘Let’s take advantage of it now that we can actually do it’… We love sports, we love competition, we love world events. This is such a unique place where the entire world gets to come together and bond over competition and sports.”
The new commentator did not last long in retirement, as he returned to star in ESPN’s NFL Countdown, soon to be Monday Night Countdown once the season begins. In a statement released by Walt Disney Company, Jason said, “ESPN was a consistent presence in our household growing up, and the network helped shape who I am and my love of all sports. To now appear on that same screen is a full circle moment. And, I mean it’s freaking Monday Night Football! I’m ready for some football.”