Total Pro Sports
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce revealed that he went to therapy to get his college football career back on track after being caught with marijuana while he was with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
After seeing limited playing time with the Bearcats in 2009, Travis Kelce’s football future was jeopardized when he was suspended for the entire 2010 NCAA season after failing a drug test.
Kelce was reinstated and returned to the field in 2011 and enhanced his draft value with a tremendous 2012 season, catching 45 passes for 722 yards and eight touchdowns. But concerns about his suspension and character caused Kelce to fall in the draft, and he wasn’t taken until round three (63rd overall) by the Chiefs.
During an in-depth interview with GQ, Travis Kelce explained that his older brother Jason Kelce (also a Cincinnati product) pushed for his reinstatement. Though officials agreed, Kelce revealed that one of the conditions called for him to see a “shrink, a slang term for a psychologist, psychiatrist and therapist:
“I had to sit down with a shrink for an hour a week. He got me to look at my life way more strategically. He got me to understand that you go through these emotions, and your reaction can either help you or hurt you or be indifferent.
He walked me through all these different phases of my life. ‘How did this make you feel? How did you react?’ I started to understand and process these emotions completely differently. You start to control it and not let it get too crazy.”
The treatment obviously did wonders for Kelce, who has since carved out one of the most outstanding careers for an NFL tight end. He’s a lock for the Hall of Fame with three Super Bowl rings, 10 Pro Bowls, 1,004 receptions, 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns.
Kelce’s willingness to open up about this should also serve as a reminder to everyone that it’s okay not to be okay. There is no shame in seeing a therapist if you’re struggling mentally, emotionally and/or physically.
After the Chiefs’ stunning blowout loss to the Philadelphia in Super Bowl 59, 35-year-old Kelce needed time to consider his options before deciding to return in 2025. With Kelce’s production also declining the last two years, nobody should be surprised if this ends up being his last rodeo in the NFL.
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