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Eagles Trainer Missed Jason Kelce’s Final Game Due to Cancer, so Kelce Had Him Tape Him Up for Retirement Press Conference Instead
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On Instagram, Jason Kelce’s longtime Eagles trainer, Joe O’Pella, explained why Kelce was taped up for his retirement press conference:
Just when you thought you couldn’t add more to Jason Kelce’s legacy. Here’s another example of a guy who gets it.
There’s a post from six weeks ago on IG, where O’Pella says “7 rounds of chemo up, 7 rounds of chemo down. All the nausea, headaches, fatigue, numbness and tingling, etc is worth it. Scroll to the last pic to see why. Chemo Joe OUT.” The ‘last pic’ is his wife and kids in the snow. There’s also a post from 2023 showing him ringing the bell to complete phase one of his cancer treatment, so it looks like he’s well on his way to recovery.
O’Pella’s official title with the Eagles is “associate athletic trainer,” and he’s been with the team for 16 years, starting as a training intern in 2008 and then working his way up as a training assistant, then assistant athletic trainer, and then finally to his current associate role in 2018.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com