Something definitely seemed off.
It's been two and a half weeks since the Kansas City Chiefs got blown out in Super Bowl 59 and as soon as the game was over and the green and black confetti had fallen, the conversation switched over to Travis Kelce's future. Kelce had said before the game that he wanted to continue playing but it wasn't hard to notice during the game that the long-time Chiefs tight end didn't seem like himself.
Of course, it's hard to be your normal cheery self when your team is getting spanked by the opposition in all facets. That being said, Kelce has been a part of some rough playoff losses and even in those he didn't seem as off as he did in this Super Bowl defeat.
The consensus to some was that maybe Kelce had considered retiring after all and was hoping to do so on the podium right after his team became the first-ever squad to accomplish a Super Bowl three-peat. Losing the way the Chiefs then did set Kelce into shock mode.
Well, Chiefs GM Brett Veach revealed that Kelce was "battling a pretty big illness" before Super Bowl 59, which definitely explains why he didn't seem like his normal self in the game. He also said that he doesn't believe that game was the final one of Kelce's career and noted that "I think that Travis is excited to come back."
Brett Veach says Travis Kelce was dealing with an illness before Super Bowl 59
Hardly anyone played well for the Chiefs in the eventual 40-22 loss (and that stat line doesn't do justice with how badly K.C. got beat in all facets) but Kelce's lackluster performance made people wonder at the time if his heart wasn't in the game anymore. Well, turns out, he was still recovering from an illness that had wiped him out during the week.
Haters are probably going to think this is Veach's way of making excuses for Kelce but anyone who's watched Kelce play knows that this was so out of character for him. He was giving up on plays and just looked dejected. If he had been sick that way, all of that now makes perfect sense.
