Yahoo Sports Jason Kelce sheds light on whether everyone has been pronouncing his — and Travis' — last name wrong
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has accomplished quite a bit over his career. He's a six-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro team member and he's won a Super Bowl ring. All of that has made Kelce one of the most recognizable names in the games.
Except ... we've all been kinda pronouncing that name wrong. A clip surfaced Wednesday in which Kelce says his last name is actually pronounced "Kelse" and not "KELL-see." Though Kelce has made that claim a few times, it didn't receive much attention until Wednesday. NFL fans — and even some of Kelce's teammates — wondered if they've been saying Kelce's name wrong for years.
That's where Travis' brother — and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — stepped in. Jason appeared on SportsRadio 94WIP on Thursday to clear things up. (Transcription via Bleeding Green Nation)
KELCE: “My brother and I have gone by Kel-SEE our entire lives. And I still remember my dad answering the phone as ‘Ed Kelce’ all growing up when he was on work calls and everything. So, our side of the family has always gone by Kel-SEE. But we have a really small family. We don’t have any first cousins. My grandfather on that side was dead before I was born. So, somehow we got so disconnected with that side. And my dad, at some point when he was working in the steel mills in Cleveland, Ohio, got tired of correcting everybody who was calling him Kel-SEE. Apparently, the ‘correct’ pronunciation, the standard pronunciation is Kelss. That’s what the rest of the family goes by. So, my dad, out of pure laziness completely changed his last name. And now, I think we’re at the point where we’re both riding with Ed Kel-SEE. He’s, for some reason, decided to change it and that’s what we’ve gone by our whole lives. So, we’re kind of separate from the rest of the family in that regard. We’ve gotten plenty of messages and texts since becoming NFL players from extended family members all of the world saying: ‘You’re pronouncing the name wrong!’ So, yeah, that’s the story. But we would honestly go by either one, but I prefer Kel-SEE just because that’s the way I’ve said it my entire life and the way our side of the family has said it.
According to Jason, their last name is actually pronounced "Kelse," but Jason and Travis don't care, and have been going by "KELL-see" their entire lives. Jason said their father got tired of correcting people, and eventually just accepted the "KELL-see" pronunciation out of "pure laziness."
Travis Kelce doesn't care how you pronounce his last name
Travis confirmed as much on Twitter on Wednesday. When a couple teammates expressed confusion, Kelce told them they can continue to pronounce his name "KELL-see."
Not trippin at all… you can actually keep calling me that 😂😂
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) July 14, 2021
😂😂😂 you’ve been sayin it right man, I go by both…. One’s my real name and one’s a nick name
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) July 14, 2021
But in case you needed further confirmation using "KELL-see" is OK, you can ask Jason and Travis' mom.
When you can't tell if NFL Superstars are playing with you, go straight to the source, their mother. @tkelce 's mom tells me it "Kell-cee" #mysterysolved
— Dave D'Marko (@DaveDMarko) July 15, 2021
That seems pretty definitive. And while you might think it's silly that Kelce's father got tired of correcting people who pronounced his last name wrong, well, some of us are all too familiar with that feeling.
More from Yahoo Sports:
