KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: The Chiefs star Travis Kelce revealed that he is seriously considering retirement due to the pain and discomfort of his injuries and surgeries playing the violent game.
Kelce became candid about his football career with JR Moehringer for the cover of WSJ Magazine's December/January issue. The 34-year-old NFL legend said he has been pondering over leaving the field "more than anyone could ever imagine."
Kelce started dating Taylor Swift in September, and many misunderstand his plans for retirement as an after-effect of dating the most famous pop star. However, the reasons are entirely different.
Kelce has hardly opened up about the effects of the injuries he endured and the surgeries he underwent.
According to him, the pain of those surgeries has still not gone away. "That's the only thing I've never really been open about, the discomfort. The pain," the NFL star said. "The lingering injuries, the 10 surgeries I've had that I still feel every single surgery to this day."
One of the best tight ends in NFL history, and the two-time Super Bowl champion has been with the Kansas City Chiefs since 2013 after playing for the University of Cincinnati from 2008 to 2012.
Travis Kelce's injuries and surgeries
Despite owning many records in his NFL career, Kelce was subjected to numerous injuries and nearly a dozen surgeries, eventually taking a toll on his body.
Based on the information on the DRAFT SHARKS website, most parts of his body have been injured over the years, including his abdomen, due to sports hernia, cartilage injuries on the knee, rib cartilage injuries on the chest, and sprains on the ankle, hip, and neck.
Kelce also suffered from head cranial concussions twice in his career in 2017 and 2018 while playing against Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, respectively.
His latest injury was a low ankle sprain in the Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Kelce, he has undergone ten surgeries in his decade-long career. The first was a sports hernia surgery and an arthroscopic surgery on his knee in 2013. He also underwent surgeries for his shoulder injuries.
NFL fans quip on Travis Kelce's romance with Taylor Swift as a reason for his retirement
Fans are well aware of what a legend Kelce is. However, many joked about how Kelce started thinking about retiring, contradicting his words in June, saying he is not considering retirement.
One user said, "Taylor Swift just Yoko Ono'd the Chiefs."
Another user wrote, "@taylorswift13 would become the Yoko Ono for @Chiefs fans forever."
Another one said, "As soon as he starts dating Taylor he wants to retire."
"Guy is already getting persuaded by Taylor swift to give up football," stated a third user.
A fourth user jokingly stated, "Translation: Bro is happy af in his relationship."
"That was a Swift exit from the league," joked a fifth user.
Though some users made fun of Kelce's newfound romance with Swift other fans pointed out that he might be making a wise decision considering his age.
One user stated, "He 34 this makes sense most star athletes start to regress around this point or even sooner."
"I think him and his brother go out together, Jason Kelce said the injuries take a toll too," noted another user.
"I mean it's expected physically demanding position starting to creep into the mid-30s. He's been less injured in gronk, but he still had some injuries.. I'm honestly surprised he still this good," wrote a third user.
