Fox News Flash top sports headlines for July 12
Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
Travis Kelce will begin his 10th season in the NFL in September.
Since the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Kelce in the third round in 2013, he has been named a First-team All-Pro four times and has developed into one of the best tight ends in the NFL. Kelce's 10,344 yards currently put him in the fourth spot on the all-time tight end receiving yards list.
If Kelce continues at the pace he is on, he will likely end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his native Ohio. But, at one point during his college football days, Kelce's football future was in jeopardy when he was suspended for his redshirt sophomore season due to a failed drug test.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates against the Philadelphia Eagles after Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
During a recent appearance on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast with three-time Pro Bowler Taylor Lewan and NFL free agent linebacker Will Compton, Kelce admitted that his party habits in college contributed to the failed drug test ahead of the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
"I got kicked out of college because of it," he said. "I partied a little too much down there, got hit with a drug test and from that point on, I realized I gotta tighten the f--- up."
CHIEFS’ TRAVIS KELCE CLAPS BACK AT JA’MARR CHASE’S QB COMMENTS: 'BETTER BACK IT UP'
Kelce also noted that the indiscretion led to him making the move from the Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback room to the tight ends room.
Early in his college football career, Kelce mostly played quarterback out of the Wildcat formation. Following the suspension, he became more of a traditional tight end.
Travis Kelce of the Cincinnati Bearcats celebrates after scoring the game-winning touchdown against the Duke Blue Devils at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 27, 2012, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
"What it did was it really kicked me into the tight end room. I was still playing QB then," Kelce said in reference to the suspension. "It was like, 'Alright, you can come walk on the team, but we don't need a quarterback. You can just be an athlete on scout team for a year, we'll figure it out.'"
In 2011, Kelce had 150 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns for Cincinnati, but he really shined at tight end during his senior year. Kelce racked up 722 yards and caught eight touchdowns during his final season with the Bearcats.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a touchdown against the Los Angles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 20, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Kelce brothers spent a couple of seasons together at Cincinnati, and Travis said his older brother played a large role in helping him return to the team.
"He went into the coach's office and talked to numerous coaches to try and give me another chance," Kelce said prior to this February's Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles. "I'm forever in debt to this guy for putting his name, our name – the Kelce name – on the line. When I say I owe it all to him, I really do."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Earlier this year, Travis became the first tight end in league history to lead the Super Bowl winner in receiving yards twice.