Jason Kelce had a tear-jerking farewell gift for coworker battling cancer

Bill Simmons once coined a term he called "The Tyson Zone." The general gist of it is that Mike Tyson did so many crazy things, such as getting tattoos on his face or biting off Evander Holyfield's ear, that if you heard an outlandish story about him, you'd have no choice but to believe it, no matter how insane it seemed.

Antonio Brown is probably the current belt-holder for the Tyson Zone, but today I'm proposing its bizarro equivalent: "The Jason Kelce Zone." That's because every story that comes out about the now-retired Eagles center seems almost too good to be true, and then a day or two later he goes out and tops it with something even better.

Kelce has had a career that will one day get him enshrined in Canton, but it was only fairly recently that he became such a national phenomenon. The man of the people, who gave an epic speech while donning a mummer's costume during the Eagles' Super Bowl parade in 2020, followed his brother Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs in support after his Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs. He tailgated with fans and chugged beers while shirtless in frigid Buffalo, carried a young Taylor Swift fan to meet her idol, and rocked an iconic look at the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, he also hosts New Heights, an incredibly popular podcast with his brother, and he was a finalist for People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive.

Kelce found his name in the headlines again after wearing a Chiefs luchador mask to the Super Bowl parade, then finding its rightful owner and returning it. He and his brother recently supported, both in money and their attendance, a fundraiser for an Eagles fan who passed away from cancer.

Kelce then gave one of the most heartfelt retirement speeches the sports world has seen, but it seems he wasn't done there, as one small touch showed once again what a thoughtful and caring guy he is.

Joe O'Pella, Kelce's longtime athletic trainer, missed the center's final NFL game because he was undergoing chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with cancer, so Kelce asked him to tape his ankles one last time after 13 years together.

Jason Kelce belongs to Philadelphia, but he's also a national treasure.

Philadelphia sports hasn't exactly endeared itself to a national audience in modern times. Most fans equate The City of Brotherly Love with throwing snowballs at Santa Claus, but Kelce has transcended that to single-handedly enhance his city's reputation.

What's even better about this story is that if not for O'Pella letting the world know of Kelce's kindness and generosity through his Instagram post, we likely never would have known about this at all. Kelce has obviously thoroughly enjoyed his time in the spotlight, but even more importantly, he seems to be the kind of guy who does the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, without caring if he gets any credit for it.

Now that he's retired, there's no stopping Kelce from further adding to his already substantial legacy. Could he don a different mask and become a real-life Philadelphia version of Batman that fights crime on Broad Street and beyond? Could he cure the sick at Temple University hospital? Maybe he'll star in the next Creed movie or play a rival bar owner on It's Always Sunny. When you're in The Jason Kelce Zone, nothing is too unbelievable.