Jon Ritchie could not hold back tears while reacting to the retirement of legendary Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
"I was bawling! I was bawling. I mean, this is really—I am laughing at myself a little bit because I can't control myself now.
"Again, I am trying to laugh this off. I don't know how to react. This is affecting me so much more than it should because he is so much more to me than most players and I identified with him, I think, in a lot of ways that I didn't even realize until now."
After 13 years in the NFL, all with the Philadelphia Eagles, the 36-year-old future Hall Of Famer announced his retirement on Monday during a 40-minute press conference, recounting the best moments of his career.
Ritchie, 49, was a third round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 1998 and played for the Eagles in 2003 and 2004.
Kelce was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles (No. 191 overall) in 2011 out of Cincinnati. The seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time first-team All-Pro and Super Bowl LII champion will undoubtedly be named to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame one day.



