Jason Kelce, the Philadelphia Eagles center and brother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, has recently been in the spotlight for his heartwarming act of kindness toward a young North Texas boy.
The story began after Super Bowl LVIII, with Jason famously showing up to the afterparties wearing a luchador mask, a Mexican wrestling mask that covers the entire head and neck. The mask quickly became a viral sensation, and many fans were curious about its origin.
It turns out the mask belonged to Dallas 8th-grader Elijah Smith, whose family revealed that Kelce had unintentionally walked away with the boy's mask after they took a picture together at a party before the late-night event where the Kelces and others were celebrating.
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"I gave him my mask, and then he dropped it and then picked it back up," said Smith, a devoted Chiefs fan.
"Then I got a picture with him wearing it, and then I just hung out next to them for five to 10 minutes; they were dancing and everything."
Elijah's parents, Thad and Sarah Smith, said their son wore the lucky mask at the Super Bowl LVII after-party in 2023. It was then when Chiefs player Trent McDuffie signed the mask, leaving a huge autograph on the side.
Elijah mentioned that he and his friend attempted to chase Jason, but they were unable to catch up to him due to the large crowd and noise. Several days after the festivities, he came across his mask once more, except this time, it had gone viral online.
"I saw videos on Instagram this week of him wearing it at the next after-party he went to, so he clearly never took it off the whole night," said Smith.
Sarah and Thad explained that the mask had been to four Super Bowls and they wanted it back as a good luck charm for the upcoming season. However, if they were not able to retrieve it, they were still thankful for the experience.
Kelce learned of the story after it was aired on NBC 5 and responded by posting on X Friday morning to initiate "Operation 'Get Elijah His Mask Back'!" In his post, Kelce thanked everyone who brought the matter to his attention and expressed his eagerness to return the mask to Elijah.
The family released a statement after seeing Kelce's acknowledgment on X. Later that evening, Elijah got a special FaceTime call from Jason Kelce himself.
"He was awesome. Super thoughtful, apologetic, and kind," Sarah told NBC 5.
"They laughed some about the evening, and he offered to have it signed by others, but Elijah said it’s fine to leave as is. Also told him no rush, that he keep it for a bit, especially with all that has happened after the KC parade. It will get returned, and he was just happy he still had it!"
Kelce's gesture has been appreciated by fans and followers on social media, highlighting the importance of role models and their impact on young fans.
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