Jason Kelce Wears Beret for ESPN Debut, Says He’s ‘Still on Paris Time’ After Attending 2024 Olympics

jason Kelce beret on ESPN 08 01 24
Jason Kelce makes his ESPN debut. Photo: Sports Center/ESPN/X

Jason Kelce is bringing his French style back from the 2024 Paris Olympics!

While making his ESPN debut on NFL Countdown on Thursday, August 1, Kelce, 36, rocked a beret like the one he was seen wearing on multiple occasions during his attendance at the Summer Games.

The former Philadelphia Eagles center appeared on the panel alongside Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, and Marcus Spears ahead of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears.

“We welcome you to the group, man! I wasn’t sure if you’d wear a tie, I did not know you were going to rock the beret fresh off the plane [from] the Olympics…” Van Pelt told Kelce on the special edition of NFL Countdown on Thursday, per a clip shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Kelce responded, “I’m still on Paris time, so I [felt] I’d go with the Paris headdress.”

“Also what we found out, because it’s TV and he’s now become a different sort of professional, he also wears underwear…” Clark commented, as Kelce joked, “Yeah, i’s new! It’s a gray suit … if I’m not wearing it, it’s risky!” while referencing his previous remarks about not wearing under garments.

Kelce’s debut comes after he announced his retirement from the Eagles after 13 seasons in March. It was reported the following month that he’d be taking his talents to ESPN for their Monday Night Football broadcasts.

While in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, Kelce and his wife Kylie were seen hanging out with the Team USA rugby team on Sunday, July 28, with the NFL star even beating Nicole Heavirland in an arm wrestling challenge as he stopped by the team’s locker room after their winning game against Brazil.

Jason Kelce wearing US Womens Rugby uniform
Jason Kelce at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Ilona Maher/TikTok

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

However, both his wife and the athlete suggested Kelce, who was again rocking the beret, didn’t follow the rules. “Challenged Jason Kelce to an arm wrestle,” Heavirland wrote over a video on Instagram, which featured his wife seemingly shouting “He’s gonna cheat!” in the background.

Heavirland jokingly captioned the clip, “@jason.kelce holding on to that table a little bit? 🤣”

“I tried to warn you!” Kylie commented as Kelce insisted, “Holding onto something with your off hand is completely within the rules of the International federation of Arm Wrestling.”

Kelce also chatted with Ilona Maher in a clip shared by the star player on TikTok, and she named him the unofficial mascot of Team USA women’s rugby.

jason Kelce beret on ESPN 08 01 24
Jason Kelce makes his ESPN debut. Photo: Sports Center/ESPN/X

Jason Kelce is bringing his French style back from the 2024 Paris Olympics!

While making his ESPN debut on NFL Countdown on Thursday, August 1, Kelce, 36, rocked a beret like the one he was seen wearing on multiple occasions during his attendance at the Summer Games.

The former Philadelphia Eagles center appeared on the panel alongside Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, and Marcus Spears ahead of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears.

“We welcome you to the group, man! I wasn’t sure if you’d wear a tie, I did not know you were going to rock the beret fresh off the plane [from] the Olympics…” Van Pelt told Kelce on the special edition of NFL Countdown on Thursday, per a clip shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Kelce responded, “I’m still on Paris time, so I [felt] I’d go with the Paris headdress.”

“Also what we found out, because it’s TV and he’s now become a different sort of professional, he also wears underwear…” Clark commented, as Kelce joked, “Yeah, i’s new! It’s a gray suit … if I’m not wearing it, it’s risky!” while referencing his previous remarks about not wearing under garments.

Kelce’s debut comes after he announced his retirement from the Eagles after 13 seasons in March. It was reported the following month that he’d be taking his talents to ESPN for their Monday Night Football broadcasts.

While in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, Kelce and his wife Kylie were seen hanging out with the Team USA rugby team on Sunday, July 28, with the NFL star even beating Nicole Heavirland in an arm wrestling challenge as he stopped by the team’s locker room after their winning game against Brazil.

Jason Kelce wearing US Womens Rugby uniform
Jason Kelce at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Ilona Maher/TikTok

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

However, both his wife and the athlete suggested Kelce, who was again rocking the beret, didn’t follow the rules. “Challenged Jason Kelce to an arm wrestle,” Heavirland wrote over a video on Instagram, which featured his wife seemingly shouting “He’s gonna cheat!” in the background.

Heavirland jokingly captioned the clip, “@jason.kelce holding on to that table a little bit? 🤣”

“I tried to warn you!” Kylie commented as Kelce insisted, “Holding onto something with your off hand is completely within the rules of the International federation of Arm Wrestling.”

Kelce also chatted with Ilona Maher in a clip shared by the star player on TikTok, and she named him the unofficial mascot of Team USA women’s rugby.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

On Tuesday, July 30, Kelce then revealed his new shirt featuring photos of Maher’s face in a shot shared by his and brother Travis Kelce’s podcast New Heights‘ X account.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *