Jason Kelce’s heart goes out to those impacted by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
The 37-year-old former NFL star sent his condolences and support to all those impacted on the Wednesday, Jan. 15 episode of his New Heights podcast, which he presents alongside brother Travis Kelce.
“Our thoughts are with everybody in the L.A. area,” Jason said at the top of the podcast as Travis, 35, agreed. “We’ve all seen the footage. At this point, [we] know people personally who have been affected by these fires and this tragedy. So our thoughts are with you.”
Jason wore an LAFD hat to show his support for the Los Angeles Fire Department amidst the ongoing tragedy while covering the game between the L.A. Rams and Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Jan. 13.
Ric Tapia/Getty
“When I was walking through the concourse area, I saw the L.A. Fire Department hat that the Rams were cosigning with. I’m like, ‘God dang, man. Like, man,’” Jason recalled. “I don’t know. It just, like, hit me right in the moment,” he said of his decision to don the cap.
The former Philadelphia Eagles center said that while he appreciates that football can often be a “distraction” from troubling current events, he felt compelled to show his support in the moment.
“I always enjoyed playing when there was crazy things happening outside of the game,” the father of three shared. “It was a way to kinda just not have to think about it for a little bit.”
David Calvert/Getty
Jason, who is currently expecting his fourth daughter with wife Kylie Kelce, added that he was happy to see the Rams win.
“Hopefully, the Rams winning on Monday gave the fans and some of the citizens some much needed escape from the things that are happening,” Jason expressed. “But shout out to everyone that’s involved in helping prevent, rebuild, you know, just the emergency responders that are there helping out the people that are in need.”
He added that it was “powerful” seeing the Los Angeles fans cheering the team on during the game and praised retired Rams Super Bowl champ Andrew Whitworth for his speech ahead of the game.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I really thought Big Whit killed it in his speech,” Jason said of Whitworth. “That ain’t the first speech I’ve heard from him. He always kills. He’s always away with words, and he’s obviously really personally connected to all this stuff being out there in L.A.”
Per NBC Los Angeles, Whitworth said, “I believe in the people of Los Angeles. We are strong. We will not be defined by this devastation. We will rebuild L.A. hand in hand together. For as long as it takes, for whatever it takes.”
At least 24 people have died and 23 people have been reported injured in the wildfires in addition to thousands losing their homes.
Read the full article here
