In a heartwarming gesture, former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce signed autographs for fans of all ages at the 35th annual American Century Championship charity golf tournament on Sunday, July 14th. Among the memorable moments, Kelce, 36, autographed a baby’s onesie between holes, highlighting his dedication to connecting with fans.
The event, held at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, saw Jason Kelce sign his name on a jersey worn by a fussy toddler. The child’s parents held the child up so Kelce could sign it.
Kelce, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year, has frequently signed autographs for fans’ children.
This habit was discussed in a now-viral episode of his “New Heights” podcast in August 2023, where he asked his brother, Travis Kelce, about the weirdest thing he’s been asked to autograph.
“I’ve been asked to sign a baby,” Travis, 34, replied, which Jason initially called “pretty weird.” However, Travis explained that parents often asked him to sign their children. He recalled an instance where he opted against signing a baby with a Sharpie, concerned about the potential harm. “If that baby would have gone to the hospital, I would have felt responsible,” Travis said, emphasizing his caution as a responsible adult.
Jason, a father of three daughters—Wyatt, 4, Ellie, 3, and Bennett, 12 months—whom he shares with his wife Kylie Kelce, has a more relaxed approach. He joked about the experiences of parenting, noting how his standards for cleanliness have evolved. “The first baby, you drop the pacifier on the ground, and you have to pick it up and put it in boiling water,” Jason said. “With Elliott, that thing could be under the couch living its life, and if she’s crying, I’m picking it up, giving it the wipe-off, and it’s going in the mouth.”
Throughout his final NFL season, Jason frequently honored parents’ requests to autograph their children. Confirming his retirement from the Eagles in March, Jason reflected on his 13-year career in Philadelphia during a press conference. “It’s only too poetic that I found my career being fulfilled in the City of Brotherly Love,” he said. “Today, I must admit I am officially overrated, vastly overrated. It took a lot of hard work and determination to get here. I have been the underdog my entire career, and I mean this when I say it—I wish I still was. Few things give me such joy as proving someone wrong.”
The Kelce brothers combined for 61 points, ranking in the bottom half of the leaderboard at the tournament. Jason, playing the course at Lake Tahoe for the first time, ended the third round in 87th place out of 89 participants. Travis, 34, fared slightly better, starting the final round in 55th place before dropping to 63rd. The tournament used a modified Stableford scoring system, awarding points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole.
Notably, earlier in the tournament, Travis struck a spectator with an errant shot on the 16th hole. This incident occurred shortly after the Kelce brothers discussed the possibility of hitting a fan at the celeb event on their “New Heights” podcast. “My advice would be don’t feel bad if you hit somebody because they bought the ticket,” Travis had joked.
Despite their modest golf performances, the Kelce brothers’ presence at the tournament added to the event’s charm, with Jason Kelce’s interaction with fans, particularly the young ones, leaving a lasting impression.
