Kansas City All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce had a rough road to the NFL. When he was a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati in 2010, the team suspended him for the season over his pot use. This led to Kelce being drafted by the Chiefs in the third round (not the first) in 2013 with the 63rd pick.
Kelce was viewed as a “trainwreck character-wise,” according to one scout then.
The Ohio native noted all of this on his Saturday Night Live debut as a host on March 4.
During the monologue, Kelce first explained how he was booted from the Cleveland Heights high school football team because he failed French “…and English too, but French sounds way better.”
His older brother Jason, who’s an offensive lineman for the Eagles, preceded Travis on the U. of Cincinnati team. Kelce went on:
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“Then, when we were at college I actually got kicked off the team becasue I tested positive for marijuana.
“So it just goes to show you: If you smoke weed and you’re bad at school, you can win the Super Bowl twice!”
Kelce’a SNL appearance followed the Chiefs’ recent comeback victory over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII during which he caught a touchdown pass. KC also won the Bowl with Kelce’s help in 2019.
With the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, Kelce has become the NFL’s preeminent tight end, regularly catching passes and carrying defenders as he runs for extra yards. He’s been selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and has seven consecutive seasons gaining more than 1,000 yards.
Kelce’s a force and is one of the main reasons – along with the team’s QB Patrick Mahomes – that KC has dominated the NFL over the last five years. Mahomes to Kelce has become the equivilent of Tom Brady tossing passes to Gronk and winning Bowl after Bowl.
Kelce’s college suspension happened “on the eve of the 2010 Sugar Bowl,” which the Bearcats lost to the Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators, 51-24. He had just one catch in that game.
Clearly, Kelce has come a long way, from his humble Ohio upbringing to some of the biggest stages in the world.
