“One of the best things that happened for Travis”: Jason Kelce opens up on Travis Kelce’s lowest moment and why getting kicked off Cincinnati made him stronger

Travis Kelce’s path to becoming one of the NFL’s biggest stars did not begin with a smooth rise through college football. Before the Super Bowl wins, Pro Bowls and record-setting seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Kelce had to fight his way back from a painful setback at Cincinnati, and Jason Kelce now believes that difficult period helped shape the player his younger brother eventually became.Jason revisited that chapter while speaking with former NFL tight end Greg Olsen on the latest episode of Youth Inc. podcast, where the brothers’ different paths to NFL success came up during a discussion about young athletes dealing with adversity.Jason Kelce says getting kicked off Cincinnati forced Travis Kelce to growJason Kelce did not describe Travis’ Cincinnati experience as something that simply damaged his career. Instead, he looked back at it as the kind of setback that forced his younger brother to understand what he wanted and how hard he needed to work for it.Travis arrived at Cincinnati with a scholarship, but he was not considered a major national recruit. He also dealt with injuries during his college career, while his role on the field remained limited early on. During his freshman season in 2009, he recorded just one reception for three yards as Cincinnati went 12-1 and reached the Sugar Bowl.The bigger blow came before the 2010 season, when Cincinnati dismissed Travis after he failed a drug test. The decision cost him his scholarship and kept him away from the team for an entire season, leaving the future Chiefs tight end with no clear path back into college football.Jason explained why he now views that moment differently while speaking on Youth Inc. with Greg Olsen.“I think one of the best things that happened for Travis was to get suspended for a year ... was him to get kicked off the team.”Jason also pointed to the lessons Travis had to learn while dealing with injuries and other problems, arguing that those experiences gave his brother something many young prospects never develop until much later.“I think it’s really easy sometimes to look at those things as negatives, and they are in the moment, like it sucks, but ultimately it’s only a negative if you allow it to stop you.”That mindset became important because Travis did not simply wait for another opportunity. He worked outside football, continued his studies and eventually earned a path back to Cincinnati as a walk-on. Travis Kelce turned the setback into the start of his NFL riseJason also played a major role in that comeback. Before the 2011 spring season, he spoke with Cincinnati coach Butch Jones and assistant Kerry Coombs on Travis’ behalf, asking them to give his younger brother another opportunity.When Cincinnati finally brought Travis back, he had to meet strict expectations while rebuilding his standing inside the program. He returned with something to prove, and the results soon followed as he became a much bigger part of the offense and settled into the tight end position.The transformation became especially clear in 2012, when Travis caught 45 passes for 722 yards and eight touchdowns during his senior season. That performance helped put him back on the NFL radar after his career had once looked uncertain.The Chiefs ultimately selected him No. 63 overall in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, giving Travis the opportunity that his Cincinnati dismissal had nearly taken away.In Jason’s case, that is the part of the story that matters most. The suspension did not disappear from Travis’ past, but it became one of the experiences that pushed him to change, work and earn another chance. Years later, with Travis established as a Chiefs superstar, Jason sees that painful Cincinnati chapter as a setback that ultimately helped his brother find his way.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.