May 8, 2024 • 37 mins
In honor of Mother’s Day, Martha talks to Donna Kelce, also known as “Mama Kelce.” She is the mother of football stars Jason and Travis Kelce, the first brothers to play against each other as Super Bowl opponents in NFL history. Donna wore split jerseys to represent both of their teams, and became a media star in her own right, with Today Show appearances and national ad campaigns. Today, she shares what it was like to raise future football champions, how she juggled family roles against her career, and her advice for moms everywhere. Don’t miss this special mother’s day episode.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Donna Kelcey is also known as Mama Kelcey, and she
has kind of become America's mom ever since her two
sons came into the national spotlight as the first ever
brothers to compete against each other in the NFL Super Bowl.
Like many mothers, she spent many years shuttling her two
(00:29):
sons to their practices and to their games and cheering
them on from the sidelines. I recently spent some time
with Donna in Las Vegas as QBC ambassadors for their
q fifty Age of Possibility. It's a special campaign and
we all had a real good time, and I thought, well,
(00:51):
what better mother to celebrate Mother's Day with than Donna Kelcey,
and I invited her to join me today to talk
about raising her son's her life is an NFL mom,
and some parenting advice along the way. Welcome to my podcast, Donna.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh, thank you very much, Martha. This is great, glad
to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well. You're familiar with podcasts. Your family has been involved
in several over the last few years, and I just
want to talk about the individual sense. I don't know
really much about Jason Kelsey. He's your older son. Yes,
can you tell me a little bit about him, and
three qualities that you would consider very pertinent to Jason.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah. I think he's very tenacious, he has a good
work ethic, and he's quite funny. At times it just
hit the moment has to strike him. But then he
is just as crazy as Travis is at times.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And three qualities that describe the younger son Travis.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
He's a fashionista. He very important for image and what
he looks like, but not so much to be perfect.
It's more to get to put a spile on people's
faces at times. I mean, he'll dress the way he
needs to, but most of the time he's doing it
to make people laugh or to talk. And he loves
(02:17):
being in the center of attention, which we all know that.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
So he's a show off. He's a show off, yes
he is.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And he's very very generous good heart. Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Well, what were those boys like growing up? Are those
qualities that were evident when they were say, ten and eleven?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I think so. When I go back and look at
pictures when they were little or movies from video, I
see Travis always dancing and shaking his behind and Jason
always with a batter of ball in his hand. They
both love sports very much and very much. You could
tell their personalities how much they cared and focused on things,
(03:00):
and they just truly believed in their soul that they
were going to be somebody someday.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
That was evidenced early on.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
They just thought for sure. They played in their minds
over and over again how they were going to be
in the super Bowl together. It's just so weird that
it came true. We didn't think it ever would.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So isn't that something? What's the age difference?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Two years? You know, that's about it? One year and
eleven months. So they were pretty wow, pretty close.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Are these your only children?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes, and there's no other cousins. My brother and Ed's
sister did not have any children, so they were pretty much,
you know, their friend playmate most of their life.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
And they were your focus. Were you as focused on
them as athletes as say Caitlin Clark's father was on
her prowess on the floor of the basketball court.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Now, I wasn't involved in that because I didn't know
how to teach. I didn't have that, you know, capability.
We made sure that they had great coaches, and especially
when they're young, we didn't want them to focus on
one particular sport. We wanted them to enjoy them all,
find out which one you like. I think Jason spent
a little time doing theaters. So I just told them
(04:17):
to do a lot of things and try to figure
out what you really like and then when you find
that out, that'll be good. But no, we just wanted
them to have a good time. We wanted them to
love whatever they were doing, and that be a chuer work.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So when did they start focusing on the football, Because
that is a tough sport. It's probably in America it's
the most I don't mean to say dangerous, but the
most brutal of all the sports, except maybe for boxing.
But when did they start focusing on football?
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, it was hockey first, And I remember Jason coming
off of the court one time when they could finally check,
which is you can finally hit somebody and get him
on the ground, and he says, Mom, I find out
what I'm really good at. So he just he loved
that part of it, which is what he ended up doing,
and I think Travis just kind of followed him. But
(05:13):
it was seventh grade. I decided not to put them
in peewee football or start them out young because it
is so violent, and just let them play other sports
and figure out defenses and offenses and things like that.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
So describe to me what was Jason's position in football
his career.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, he was usually in high school. When you have
kids that are athletic, they put you where they need you.
So they played a lot of different positions. Jason was
a linebacker. He played on the line, he was a kicker,
long snapper. He did just about everything. The same thing
with Travis, but Travis mostly focused on a quarterback. That's
(05:55):
what he did in high school. And you know they
both started in the seventh grade. Well that's where they
got it. But they played all kinds of sports.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I have a grandson who is going into seventh grade
and he is a soccer player, and he loves soccer
so much. But you know, the other day I was
talking to him about his practice and he's he plays
every single day. It isn't like it's just one day
a week. He plays seven days a week. And he said,
(06:25):
you know, I don't I really thought I would be
a really great soccer player, but I don't know now.
And he's just going to be. He's twelve years old. Well,
he's not sure now that he will be good enough.
So it's not like he's saying. And a couple of
years ago he was going off to Europe. He was
going to play for Liverpool. He was absolutely certain of it,
(06:47):
and now he's questioning his ability. And it's kind of
sad to me that a young boy, because he still
hasn't had his growth spurt.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
They all second guests themselves. They figure that this isn't
for me. I'm not big enough, I'm not strong enough,
I'm not heavy enough, i don't lift enough weights. But
if you want it bad enough, it's mental. Jason is
a small center. Travis wanted to be a quarterback and
(07:16):
he ended up going to college, but they told him,
you're going to be a tight end, so you have
to be flexible at the position you're playing. And if
he can do that, he may find out that I'll
be a soccer player. But maybe it's in a different
position than what he's doing right right, So it is mental.
It's like how bad do you want it?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And just keep encouraging them to do what they can do.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Sometimes they get to a point where they're like burnt out.
It's like I really don't want to do this anymore.
They played soccer for a while, they played baseball and basketball,
and they were on all those teams. But you end
up just having to focus on one towards your late years.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Now, how are they a students? Were good students the boys.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I'll be honest. Jason was good in high school. Travis
really had no interest in school whatsoever. We were We
were constantly having to tell him that you need to
finish your homework, this and that. But they're both smart.
They're very intelligent. It's just choice.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
How did you nurture their skills? What did you feed
these boys? Did they eat a lot?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
We would sit down sometimes have you know? They could
after football eating an entire chicken. I swear each you know,
it's just a you lose so many calories when you're
playing a sport like that. That's that active, whether it's
soccer or anything. And I'm sure you've found out that
they go to the refrigerator right after you ate, so
(08:45):
it's a non stop eating. So you had to have
a lot of food around, right, Yeah, And if ever
I went to a nice restaurant and I brought home leftovers,
they weren't there when I got home.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
No, it's incredible. How many loads of bread did they
eat a week? Would you? Would you say?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
There were times when I would come home and I
just got a loaf of bread and they go through
the whole thing with peanut butter and jelly or just
eating it. We never keep a cereal box. I mean
they would go through a cereal box, you know, every
one or two days.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
That was their Oh and.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Then I found out that they were going to other
people's houses after school and eating over their houses. Oh,
I bet.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I mean. I remember sitting down with my brothers, and
my brothers were not big athletes like that, but they
were always hungry, and they would eat a whole My
mother would put down a box of corn flakes, and
one boy would just pour the whole box into a
great big mixing bowl with a half a gallon of milk.
And that was breakfast.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
When they went off to college, I got a raise.
College was feeding them then.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
So what were their favorite meals? I'm always curious what
did Travis like, especially to eat?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Well, he was a sugar COLLI tried not to give
a sugar at that time, but he would sneak it.
I would give him lunches send him with good food
during the day and he would trade it for somebody
else for money, and he would get a what do
you call a honey bun out of the vending machine.
I'm like, how are you this good? Would you? But
(10:17):
we would make sure they had good meals at the
end of the day and good bruns. So that's one
thing we had control of. But you know, they loved chicken,
they loved ribs, they loved you know, hamburgers and pizza
like everybody else does. I'm not a great cook. I'm not.
I you know, have my my items that I'm good at,
(10:39):
but mostly I'm a baker blueberry muffins and things like
that as opposed to what we had for dinner.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Oh, by the way, I was going to also ask
you they always ate meat, right, They're not vegetarian?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, yeah, they do.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You know, do you know any professional athletes that are vegetarian?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
There's a few. Tom Brady was a vegetarian, if I'm
not mistaken, or at least a fish yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Pescatary, yeah, pescutaryan yeah. Me and my grandson's a pescatarian.
And I sometimes think, gosh, I wonder if he really
needs to eat some meat.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
He just needs protein.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Yeah, protein protein, So.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Where he can get that other ways? I think there
are several that that I think Jason's played with that
are vegetarians.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
So what kind of house did you have with these
two growing monster boys?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:26):
It was.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
It was a broken house. There were broken windows. We
had to pick glass block in the basement. Our door
on our garage was like pock marked. It had hockey
pucks hit at it on a continual pieces. And I
just decided, you know what, this is their house too.
I'm not going to scream at them every single day,
(11:52):
you know, try to get them to the to the
parks and everything like that so that they don't beat
it up too much.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
But did you have a basketball hoop in your dry Yes?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
We did, Yes, we did. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Yeah. Did you have a soccer net on your grass?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
We had? Yeah, we did at one point when they
were playing. We also had hockey nets there too, and
a little hockey mini stick arena in our basement for
them to play.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, they would do it on their knees, you know.
It was funny. And the noise too, there was a
lot of noise. The houses were very close together. We
lived in Cleveland Heights, which was one hundred year old street,
and you know, with the homes being that old, and
so they would kick a football and I'd be terrified
(12:38):
it was going to go through somebody's window, and I'm
sure it didn't. I never find out about it.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Now, you were an athlete, I understand, But you weren't
encouraged by your dad to follow sports? How come? I?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
You know, he was old school and felt that I'd
either be you know, a mother, a nurse, a teacher.
He just had these preconceived notions. And thank goodness, I
had a stepmother growing up, and she was very good.
She was an athlete herself, and she kind of helped me,
(13:20):
you know, navigate that and let me do things that
my dad might not have necessarily wanted.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
What did you play? What did you play?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I love track. I was really good at track and
high jump. I was in the Junior Olympics. And but
you know, you get to a certain point in high
school and a lot of girls quit, like around thirteen fourteen,
and I'm hoping that that will change, and it has
really it has changed over time. But I was doing
(13:49):
I was before Night Title Night, so there was no
point for me to do it. I couldn't go any further.
So I did as much as I could. But it
was intramural. It wasn't inner school.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Right. I'm older than Donna Kelsey by about twelve years
or something, I think. And I played softball and I
played basketball. Yeah, you know, it was two dribbles and shoot.
Remember basketball was half court. I know, half court. It
was so horrible.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
I know it was awful. It wasn't really. It wasn't
a lot of competition, and the only thing you could
play was field hockey. I tried it for a while,
but I was so tall that the people had their
the hockey sticks and they would keep hitting me in
the shin, so I said, I am done. But that
(14:42):
was the only one you were allowed to play in
between schools. That was the only sport.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
But then Donna gave up all these sports and became
a banker. You were financing low income housing in Cincinnati, right,
So that's that's a big job. And how did you
balance that with the boys.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah it was tough, but I tried to stay in
at least the state of Ohio so that I wasn't
traveling far when they were young, but you know it
was there's affordable housing for individuals that are low income,
but not even low income. It's more for like starting
(15:22):
teachers and ems and firemen and police and whatever's. It's
just safe, affordable housing in large cities that are very
expensive with apartments. So so banks have to do that,
they don't have to. They want to be responsible in
the community and they want to make sure that they
support their communities, and that's one way to do it.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Are you still working?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
No? I stopped two years ago. My bank merged and
I had just been through like three or four of
them overtime, and I said, I'm done. I'm not doing
another one.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Well, you also became like the most famous football mom
in history with that Super Bowl that was that two
years ago or three years ago? It was two years
When was two years ago? When both boys played on
opposing teams and that I was at that game. That
was some fabulous game and you must have been were
(16:16):
you rooting for anybody?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
It was? I was clamping no matter who had the
ball because I knew that they're both on offense, so he.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Was and one of them was going to win, right.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, Yeah, that was a good thing. I was winning
no matter what, So that was rwesome. But you do
you feel bad for the for the losers, and you
are elated for the for the winners. But it was tough,
you know, seeing my oldest after that, because I knew
how much it meant to him. I knew he wasn't
going to be playing too much longer, and it's tough.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
He just retired, Yes, was it two weeks ago? Formally?
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
And he's how old?
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Thirty four?
Speaker 1 (16:55):
No? Six, thirty six, he's thirty six, he's thirty six, right?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Remember their birthdays?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Oh? Yeah, yeah, I do. No October fifth, Yes, I do.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Okay, that's easy, that's.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Easy for sure.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
But in addition to being a banker, you were a mom,
You ran the household. You got divorced at what age
I was.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
It was after the kids were out of college, so.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You had you had the support of a husband during
the boys too, during their whole developmental high school years.
Ed and I, oh, that's good.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
We worked together as a team, and it was it's very,
very difficult to raise cholka on your own, and with
as active as they were, how do you do that
on your own? So we decided that we would be
married throughout the entire time that the kids were in
the house, and that's the way it worked out.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Well, that's so smart and so lucky that you did that.
I lucky for them too, because it's such so hard
to to do that on your own. My daughter, she's
a single mom and with an eleven and a twelve
year old who go in different directions, you know, after
school on weekends. She's become a soccer expert. But I'm
(18:10):
surprised because it never interested her at all before this
kid came along.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Well, you have an invested interest when your children are
playing because you know somebody on the field. So once
you know somebody on the field, you tend to really
enjoy the games.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Right, And then then you get to meet the other
parents and you get to talk and you get to compare.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Right.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
And what did people think by the time they got
into high school? What do they think about you? Were
they envious that you had two such powerhouses?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
No, I think a lot of them thought that they
were good because they just grew faster than everybody else.
I think they knew that they had talent, but I
don't think they really shined until they got to college.
I mean, they were good, don't get me wrong. They're
probably the best in the area. But you don't know
how that relates to the country. All you know is
(19:01):
your small town, your state, and you don't know until
they actually get in college and they play against kids
all across the country.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
What colleges did they go to.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
They both of them went to University of Cincinnati, and
at that time, it was not a legacy school where
it was one of the top ones like Alabama or
a house state or whatever. They played a Division one
which was in the Big East, and they played against
really good competition. But they wanted to play, and they knew,
(19:32):
because of their sizes and maybe that they didn't have
the competition level that everybody else did, that they would
go to maybe a Division one school, but not a
major powerhouse because they did not want to sit on
the bench. They wanted to play. And whatever happens happened,
you know.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
So hometown turned out to be the right hometown.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah it did, it did.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Yeah, fantastic, it's naughty a couple of times. It's a
lovely it's a lovely town.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah, that's a good one, right on the river, really beautiful.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
So what were the most important values that you instilled
in your boys, do you think and that's stuck.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I think the importance of being loyal to your friends,
that you be kind to everyone. That no matter if
somebody's at school and it's the individual that's cleaning the toilets,
or if it's a principal or a teacher or somebody
(20:35):
that has a disability, that you treat everyone equally and
with respect. I think that's the most important thing. And
if you see someone in trouble, help you know. And
if you see somebody that's being bullied or anything like that,
try and step in and get in between that person.
Because they were big, so they could make a difference
(20:57):
and make sure that that child was okay. So they
did that a lot, and sometimes they went a little crazy.
And so I was in the principal's office and I'm like, look,
they were helping this kid out who was being bullied.
And I said, I'll stand behind that every day of
the week.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
And your sons have very different pregame styles well documented.
Do they explain anything about their personalities as young boys?
Speaker 2 (21:26):
No, I don't think so. I think that Jason's always
had a funny streak in him when he's in small groups.
He really has a good sense of humor. Travis just
likes to be silly. He likes to make people laugh.
He's a good comedian. Jason's more pensive. He thinks about
things and has a bigger vocabulary obviously, But it's just
(21:50):
I think they're very similar and very different. Jason doesn't
really care what people think about him, about his clothing
about the only thing he wants to people to remember
is that he gave everything he had in whatever he did.
That he was giving one hundred percent all the time.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Well, now that he's retired from the NFL, what's he
going to do?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I think he's going to be going with ESPN. I
don't know if it's like for sure final, but I
know he's going to be doing something for Monday night football,
and I don't know exactly what that entails, but I
think he'll be good at it as he gets the gap,
so he should be.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Yeah, so's he's excellent in media too.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Yeah, he does a good job, so does Travis. I
think they found out through the podcast that it worked
even before Travis's significant other. It was just really their
podcast did very very well.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Does Jason have a girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Jason's married to Kylie and that Oh that's right, that's right. Yes,
three grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Oh boy. Yeah, he's very different life than Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Yeah, he's very much much you know, the dad, the husband,
he's a well rounded person. I think no matter what
he chooses, I think he'll do well at I think
both of them well because you know, Travis's football career
isn't going to last forever either, and he'll have to
choose something else to It's just putting their mind to
it and deciding what they want to do. But it
will never compare to the elation and the crowds cheering
(23:24):
at them like it does in football. That'll never be
the same.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You know, I was at the Super Bowl this this
recent one where Kansas City, of course won. How do
they deal with the long interludes while the commercials are playing,
when they're all kind of huddled on the field or
they're huddled on the benches. Does that bother them a lot?
Those big interludes in the game.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
When you first go to the Super Bowl, it is
hard for them to get used to it because there
are long periods of time. You want to make sure
that your muscles do not atrophy and they don't lock
up on you. So you have to keep moving. You
have to keep doing things to make sure that your muscles.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
So that's why that's why they're always kicking and jumping
and running around.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Yeah, they have to make sure like they're glutes. Travis
played in the game, I think it was against Miami
and it was like twenty degrees below zero on the
field and he never sits on the bench and he said, Mom,
I had to because I could not feel my hands,
I could not feel my behind. And he said, I
knew that if I didn't do that, I wouldn't be
able to run. So there are things that you do,
(24:42):
no matter whether it's a weather related issue or whether
it's commercials or long. You know, halftimes, they have a
lot of time sitting on the bench and it sometimes
it's not good, and if teams have not been there before,
they have a hard time dealing with it.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
At home, you don't feel the delay because you're watching
the fun commercial. Yeah, and that's why that's why those
delays occur. But it gets you know, you drink too much,
you talk to your friends too much, and it seems
to everything seems to come to a halt, and it's
so jarring. And you know, I enjoy watching football. I
can see more at home, but to be there with everything,
(25:23):
to hear the crowd yelling and see the lights and
the fireworks and everything, it's it's a show. So it's
very good. It is very entertaining. It's very exciting too.
But let's talk about that Super Bowl twenty twenty three,
the Kelsey Bowl. So you said that you knew somebody
in your family was going to win, which is a
very fabulous, fabulous feeling. But how was Jason at the end.
(25:48):
What did he what did he say? How was he
how did he act?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
He was a true professional. I could tell in his
eyes that he really wanted it bad. I knew he
wanted it bad. And they thought in the until the
fourth quarter got there, they really believe they were gonna win,
and it just cuts sn hatched away from them. And
you know, you put everything into it, You work the
(26:11):
entire season with all these men and you just want
it to happen, and it's just devastating when it doesn't.
So I know it was upset, but he was a
true professional. He says, Mom, you know, go ahead, please
be with Travis and enjoy the moment. I don't want
to take that from you.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
It's so great. So then you became so the focus
of a media frenzy at that time, and now with
with Travis and his girlfriend, you are a real part
of this whole frenzy that's occurring. Did you ever imagine
that your son's careers would turn you into a star
(26:51):
of national ad campaigns. I mean, I've seen your zip
block campaign, that Chunky's soup commercials, all of this is
been great for you.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Yeah, I don't quite understand it myself. I just think
that it's one of those things where it was just
a stroke of luck that they both ended up in
the super Bowl at the end, that luck. I mean,
it was hard work getting there, but you never really know.
They've been playing for at that point for twelve and
(27:22):
ten years, and it's just, you know, we thought it'll
never happen. If it hasn't happened up until this point,
they were never good at the same time.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Was that the first Super Bowl for both of them?
Speaker 2 (27:35):
No, Jason had won one the fifty seconds of both. Okay,
they played against the Patriots. Yeah, Jason actually can say
he'd beat Tom Brady. Oh, that's so great. But no,
that's the only thing he has one up on Travis.
Travis has three rings. But Jason beat Tom Brady in
the Super Bowl. Boy, so that always bragging, right said Thanksgiving?
(27:57):
But yeah, it's you know, it's it's just really really strange.
We really didn't think it was going to happen. We
were hoping it would, and then when it did, we're like, oh, no,
it really did happen. But I don't still to this day,
do not understand why people want to listen to me
or they tell me that I'm like their mom and
(28:19):
I wish I had a mom, you know, and I
don't understand it.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Well, you are our Mother of the Year and we're
celebrating this on Mother's Day twenty twenty four, and I
think it's just great. I mean, you should be so
proud of yourself, not just for giving birth to two
amazing boys, but you have maintained a really lovely demeanor
during this entire time, and you are the all American mom.
(28:48):
So enjoy it because we all think you're great.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Actually, I think maybe people can relate. They can relate.
They know the hours that you spend with kids, they
know the grueling mornings, getting people up and dinners and
driving people all over the place and getting their homework done.
It's just something that we all do as moms.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Well, this entry into big media, which both boys seemed
to be doing and you were doing in your way.
Who drove that decision or was it all of you
talking with each other or did you just did it
just come about individually?
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I think it just happened. They started with the podcast first,
and when it got to the point where they were
in the Super Bowl together and people wanted to talk
to me, I asked them, I said, you know how
open I am about things. I said, is there anything
you do not want me to talk about or that's restricted?
(29:49):
And they said, nope, our life is an open book.
So I said, okay, then I'll then I'll do it.
If they want to talk to me, I'll let them
interview me.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
So well, it's great. Any of the QVC Q fifty,
I'm one two listeners. I am also an ambassador for QVC,
which is the premiere television shopping network, and Donna and
I were in Las Vegas celebrating it and we were
both on the sphere on the Exosphere.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
That was fun. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
What did the boys say to that? Were they thrilled?
Speaker 2 (30:21):
He didn't see it, but they were amazed that I
made it on there? Person or football player I think
that made it up. There was probably Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yes, I remember seeing that.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Yeah, so boy, yeah that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
So but that is a fabulous thing that's sphere in
Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
And yeah, I haven't been there for a concert, but
Jason got to go during this last Super Bowl because
he wasn't playing, And it's just the it's spectacular, just
it is graphics and everything are just amazing.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
And he saw you too, didn't he I went to
the Super Bowl too and that's what I saw, so
he must seen YouTube perform.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
It was incredible, he said, he knew you were there.
I think Sandler and Dana Carey were there too, and
he was quite impressed with all the celebrities that were
there that evening.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
It was amazing.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
And so I'm looking forward to seeing what they each
of them does in the future. And I'm sure you
are too. And would you say that you're the Kardashians
of sports?
Speaker 2 (31:26):
No?
Speaker 1 (31:27):
Non, Maybe we'll see a sitcom with with a bunch
of you.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Well, I don't. I don't think either one of them
want to do like reality Yeah, reality TV. Jace Travis
did it a little bit in the very beginning of
his career, but I think he decided that that's not
something he really wants to do, you know, twenty four
to seven. So they'll do bits and pieces. He'll do
(31:53):
a little bit of game shows. Maybe Jason will do
some production work. You know, it just depends on what
comes their way. They're dabbling in a lot of different
stuff right now.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Oh I bet, I bet. Offers are coming from everywhere.
So you said on the Today Show this past week
that the boys aren't the best with Mother's Day. What
does that mean? Do they forget it or do they
come home? What do they do?
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Well? You know, they always remember my birthday and they're
very generous at giving me gifts and things like that,
trips and what have you, and taking care of mom.
So I don't have anything that I can complain about.
It's just that that's one of those days that's in
the well May they're on their off season, they're traveling,
they're at the Derby, they're doing things and on vacation
(32:42):
and enjoying themselves and I just I don't. I think
it slips their mind and they're like, oh Jesus, Mother's Day,
I've better text my mom.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
So what was Travis doing at the derby? He was
all talking about dapper, he was very dapper. But what
was he doing there? Does they have a horse?
Speaker 2 (32:58):
I don't think. Oh no, I think one of his friends,
that's another athlete was there and he had a horse.
So he was there just enjoying the moment with that person.
And I can't remember which athlete he was there with.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
But oh, it was a beautiful day. It was just
beautiful day.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
I could see that. It was gorgeous. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Is there a favorite gift that the boys have given
you or that you cherish among you know, above all.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Others, you know, not really a gift more of you
know what mom doesn't want their kids to shine, and
both of them have at the highest level in their careers,
and that's a gift to me.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
But I have gotten jewelry that I cherish. Jason has
uh and his wife have given me wonderful trips, you know,
to Europe and what have you. And they are not selfish,
they are not greedy. They are very giving children and
I'm very grateful.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
On your son's podcast, spoke lovingly about the woman your
father married after your mother died, your stepmom. Yeah, what
did what did she do to create this lovely relationship
with you?
Speaker 2 (34:11):
She was just full of love, you know. When she
came into our lives, obviously our mother had passed a
couple of years, and she just came in. It was
like Mary Papa's had felt like Disney, you know, It's
like she just came in and she took care of things,
and you just knew that you could breathe easier when
she was in the house. She was a lovely teacher,
(34:33):
which I think helps with children. You know what motivates kids,
you know, to your a teacher, And she just helped
my brother and I tremendously just believe in ourselves and
know that we could do whatever we wanted when we
grew up. It just it just you have to choose,
you know, to put your whole art into something if
you want it bad enough.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Well, how lucky, how lucky for you that that occurred.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
I was extremely lucky. I've had friends that have not
been as lucky as I have.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Yeah, well, let's talk lastly about being a grandma. Yeah,
now you have three little girls in your life, right,
and after having just two sons. That's very very different,
isn't it is.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
We finally got to do Bippity Bobby Boo at Disney
when we were there at Magic Kingdom. Yeah, it's a
lot different. It's just, you know, the choices that girls make.
It's not all girls, but they tend to go towards
you know, dolls and kitchens, you know, play kitchens and
(35:38):
why it can go around and have one of those
sweeper things in her hand all the time. It's just
I think they just like to, you know, act out
like their mom.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Yeah, they emulate the women in their lives.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
They do so. But they love their dad. And they're
always outside, you know, running around, playing on the swings,
going swimming whatever they can. So they're very, very active.
And I just think that they'll be good at whatever
they do and they'll have the ability and opportunity to
do what they want. But they're sweet. They're all sweet.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
And how's Jason's wife? You get along really well with her?
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Yeah, he got so lucky. She is amazing. Kylie is
just one of a kind. I can't say enough things
about her. She holds the house together, and she is
an amazing.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
I thank you so much, and I just want to
end this by saying, you are, indeed, and you sound
indeed like a really great mom. And I hope that
other mothers listening will take some lessons from you and
offer that same kind of encouragement and stability and really
a sense of well being to their children as you
(36:53):
have to your kids. And I'm very very happy for you, Donna,
and I hope to see you at QVC and our
new job. We have this year long job to do.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Yeah, so I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
I'm sure we'll be bumping into each other.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Probably that's probably the case, but yeah, I'm interested to
see what's going to happen and manifest out of that too.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Well. Thank you so much and keep up the good work.
You are an ideal for all of us.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Thank you now, Mark, I think you set the standard.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Thank you. Yes, Happy Mother's Day you two.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Bye bye
Donna Kelcey is also known as Mama Kelcey, and she
has kind of become America's mom ever since her two
sons came into the national spotlight as the first ever
brothers to compete against each other in the NFL Super Bowl.
Like many mothers, she spent many years shuttling her two
(00:29):
sons to their practices and to their games and cheering
them on from the sidelines. I recently spent some time
with Donna in Las Vegas as QBC ambassadors for their
q fifty Age of Possibility. It's a special campaign and
we all had a real good time, and I thought, well,
(00:51):
what better mother to celebrate Mother's Day with than Donna Kelcey,
and I invited her to join me today to talk
about raising her son's her life is an NFL mom,
and some parenting advice along the way. Welcome to my podcast, Donna.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh, thank you very much, Martha. This is great, glad
to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well. You're familiar with podcasts. Your family has been involved
in several over the last few years, and I just
want to talk about the individual sense. I don't know
really much about Jason Kelsey. He's your older son. Yes,
can you tell me a little bit about him, and
three qualities that you would consider very pertinent to Jason.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah. I think he's very tenacious, he has a good
work ethic, and he's quite funny. At times it just
hit the moment has to strike him. But then he
is just as crazy as Travis is at times.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And three qualities that describe the younger son Travis.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
He's a fashionista. He very important for image and what
he looks like, but not so much to be perfect.
It's more to get to put a spile on people's
faces at times. I mean, he'll dress the way he
needs to, but most of the time he's doing it
to make people laugh or to talk. And he loves
(02:17):
being in the center of attention, which we all know that.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
So he's a show off. He's a show off, yes
he is.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And he's very very generous good heart. Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Well, what were those boys like growing up? Are those
qualities that were evident when they were say, ten and eleven?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I think so. When I go back and look at
pictures when they were little or movies from video, I
see Travis always dancing and shaking his behind and Jason
always with a batter of ball in his hand. They
both love sports very much and very much. You could
tell their personalities how much they cared and focused on things,
(03:00):
and they just truly believed in their soul that they
were going to be somebody someday.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
That was evidenced early on.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
They just thought for sure. They played in their minds
over and over again how they were going to be
in the super Bowl together. It's just so weird that
it came true. We didn't think it ever would.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So isn't that something? What's the age difference?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Two years? You know, that's about it? One year and
eleven months. So they were pretty wow, pretty close.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Are these your only children?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes, and there's no other cousins. My brother and Ed's
sister did not have any children, so they were pretty much,
you know, their friend playmate most of their life.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
And they were your focus. Were you as focused on
them as athletes as say Caitlin Clark's father was on
her prowess on the floor of the basketball court.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Now, I wasn't involved in that because I didn't know
how to teach. I didn't have that, you know, capability.
We made sure that they had great coaches, and especially
when they're young, we didn't want them to focus on
one particular sport. We wanted them to enjoy them all,
find out which one you like. I think Jason spent
a little time doing theaters. So I just told them
(04:17):
to do a lot of things and try to figure
out what you really like and then when you find
that out, that'll be good. But no, we just wanted
them to have a good time. We wanted them to
love whatever they were doing, and that be a chuer work.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So when did they start focusing on the football, Because
that is a tough sport. It's probably in America it's
the most I don't mean to say dangerous, but the
most brutal of all the sports, except maybe for boxing.
But when did they start focusing on football?
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, it was hockey first, And I remember Jason coming
off of the court one time when they could finally check,
which is you can finally hit somebody and get him
on the ground, and he says, Mom, I find out
what I'm really good at. So he just he loved
that part of it, which is what he ended up doing,
and I think Travis just kind of followed him. But
(05:13):
it was seventh grade. I decided not to put them
in peewee football or start them out young because it
is so violent, and just let them play other sports
and figure out defenses and offenses and things like that.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
So describe to me what was Jason's position in football
his career.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, he was usually in high school. When you have
kids that are athletic, they put you where they need you.
So they played a lot of different positions. Jason was
a linebacker. He played on the line, he was a kicker,
long snapper. He did just about everything. The same thing
with Travis, but Travis mostly focused on a quarterback. That's
(05:55):
what he did in high school. And you know they
both started in the seventh grade. Well that's where they
got it. But they played all kinds of sports.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I have a grandson who is going into seventh grade
and he is a soccer player, and he loves soccer
so much. But you know, the other day I was
talking to him about his practice and he's he plays
every single day. It isn't like it's just one day
a week. He plays seven days a week. And he said,
(06:25):
you know, I don't I really thought I would be
a really great soccer player, but I don't know now.
And he's just going to be. He's twelve years old. Well,
he's not sure now that he will be good enough.
So it's not like he's saying. And a couple of
years ago he was going off to Europe. He was
going to play for Liverpool. He was absolutely certain of it,
(06:47):
and now he's questioning his ability. And it's kind of
sad to me that a young boy, because he still
hasn't had his growth spurt.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
They all second guests themselves. They figure that this isn't
for me. I'm not big enough, I'm not strong enough,
I'm not heavy enough, i don't lift enough weights. But
if you want it bad enough, it's mental. Jason is
a small center. Travis wanted to be a quarterback and
(07:16):
he ended up going to college, but they told him,
you're going to be a tight end, so you have
to be flexible at the position you're playing. And if
he can do that, he may find out that I'll
be a soccer player. But maybe it's in a different
position than what he's doing right right, So it is mental.
It's like how bad do you want it?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And just keep encouraging them to do what they can do.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Sometimes they get to a point where they're like burnt out.
It's like I really don't want to do this anymore.
They played soccer for a while, they played baseball and basketball,
and they were on all those teams. But you end
up just having to focus on one towards your late years.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Now, how are they a students? Were good students the boys.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I'll be honest. Jason was good in high school. Travis
really had no interest in school whatsoever. We were We
were constantly having to tell him that you need to
finish your homework, this and that. But they're both smart.
They're very intelligent. It's just choice.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
How did you nurture their skills? What did you feed
these boys? Did they eat a lot?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
We would sit down sometimes have you know? They could
after football eating an entire chicken. I swear each you know,
it's just a you lose so many calories when you're
playing a sport like that. That's that active, whether it's
soccer or anything. And I'm sure you've found out that
they go to the refrigerator right after you ate, so
(08:45):
it's a non stop eating. So you had to have
a lot of food around, right, Yeah, And if ever
I went to a nice restaurant and I brought home leftovers,
they weren't there when I got home.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
No, it's incredible. How many loads of bread did they
eat a week? Would you? Would you say?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
There were times when I would come home and I
just got a loaf of bread and they go through
the whole thing with peanut butter and jelly or just
eating it. We never keep a cereal box. I mean
they would go through a cereal box, you know, every
one or two days.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
That was their Oh and.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Then I found out that they were going to other
people's houses after school and eating over their houses. Oh,
I bet.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I mean. I remember sitting down with my brothers, and
my brothers were not big athletes like that, but they
were always hungry, and they would eat a whole My
mother would put down a box of corn flakes, and
one boy would just pour the whole box into a
great big mixing bowl with a half a gallon of milk.
And that was breakfast.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
When they went off to college, I got a raise.
College was feeding them then.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
So what were their favorite meals? I'm always curious what
did Travis like, especially to eat?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Well, he was a sugar COLLI tried not to give
a sugar at that time, but he would sneak it.
I would give him lunches send him with good food
during the day and he would trade it for somebody
else for money, and he would get a what do
you call a honey bun out of the vending machine.
I'm like, how are you this good? Would you? But
(10:17):
we would make sure they had good meals at the
end of the day and good bruns. So that's one
thing we had control of. But you know, they loved chicken,
they loved ribs, they loved you know, hamburgers and pizza
like everybody else does. I'm not a great cook. I'm not.
I you know, have my my items that I'm good at,
(10:39):
but mostly I'm a baker blueberry muffins and things like
that as opposed to what we had for dinner.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Oh, by the way, I was going to also ask
you they always ate meat, right, They're not vegetarian?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, yeah, they do.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You know, do you know any professional athletes that are vegetarian?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
There's a few. Tom Brady was a vegetarian, if I'm
not mistaken, or at least a fish yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Pescatary, yeah, pescutaryan yeah. Me and my grandson's a pescatarian.
And I sometimes think, gosh, I wonder if he really
needs to eat some meat.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
He just needs protein.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Yeah, protein protein, So.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Where he can get that other ways? I think there
are several that that I think Jason's played with that
are vegetarians.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
So what kind of house did you have with these
two growing monster boys?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:26):
It was.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
It was a broken house. There were broken windows. We
had to pick glass block in the basement. Our door
on our garage was like pock marked. It had hockey
pucks hit at it on a continual pieces. And I
just decided, you know what, this is their house too.
I'm not going to scream at them every single day,
(11:52):
you know, try to get them to the to the
parks and everything like that so that they don't beat
it up too much.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
But did you have a basketball hoop in your dry Yes?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
We did, Yes, we did. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Yeah. Did you have a soccer net on your grass?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
We had? Yeah, we did at one point when they
were playing. We also had hockey nets there too, and
a little hockey mini stick arena in our basement for
them to play.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, they would do it on their knees, you know.
It was funny. And the noise too, there was a
lot of noise. The houses were very close together. We
lived in Cleveland Heights, which was one hundred year old street,
and you know, with the homes being that old, and
so they would kick a football and I'd be terrified
(12:38):
it was going to go through somebody's window, and I'm
sure it didn't. I never find out about it.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Now, you were an athlete, I understand, But you weren't
encouraged by your dad to follow sports? How come? I?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
You know, he was old school and felt that I'd
either be you know, a mother, a nurse, a teacher.
He just had these preconceived notions. And thank goodness, I
had a stepmother growing up, and she was very good.
She was an athlete herself, and she kind of helped me,
(13:20):
you know, navigate that and let me do things that
my dad might not have necessarily wanted.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
What did you play? What did you play?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I love track. I was really good at track and
high jump. I was in the Junior Olympics. And but
you know, you get to a certain point in high
school and a lot of girls quit, like around thirteen fourteen,
and I'm hoping that that will change, and it has
really it has changed over time. But I was doing
(13:49):
I was before Night Title Night, so there was no
point for me to do it. I couldn't go any further.
So I did as much as I could. But it
was intramural. It wasn't inner school.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Right. I'm older than Donna Kelsey by about twelve years
or something, I think. And I played softball and I
played basketball. Yeah, you know, it was two dribbles and shoot.
Remember basketball was half court. I know, half court. It
was so horrible.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
I know it was awful. It wasn't really. It wasn't
a lot of competition, and the only thing you could
play was field hockey. I tried it for a while,
but I was so tall that the people had their
the hockey sticks and they would keep hitting me in
the shin, so I said, I am done. But that
(14:42):
was the only one you were allowed to play in
between schools. That was the only sport.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
But then Donna gave up all these sports and became
a banker. You were financing low income housing in Cincinnati, right,
So that's that's a big job. And how did you
balance that with the boys.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah it was tough, but I tried to stay in
at least the state of Ohio so that I wasn't
traveling far when they were young, but you know it
was there's affordable housing for individuals that are low income,
but not even low income. It's more for like starting
(15:22):
teachers and ems and firemen and police and whatever's. It's
just safe, affordable housing in large cities that are very
expensive with apartments. So so banks have to do that,
they don't have to. They want to be responsible in
the community and they want to make sure that they
support their communities, and that's one way to do it.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Are you still working?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
No? I stopped two years ago. My bank merged and
I had just been through like three or four of
them overtime, and I said, I'm done. I'm not doing
another one.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Well, you also became like the most famous football mom
in history with that Super Bowl that was that two
years ago or three years ago? It was two years
When was two years ago? When both boys played on
opposing teams and that I was at that game. That
was some fabulous game and you must have been were
(16:16):
you rooting for anybody?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
It was? I was clamping no matter who had the
ball because I knew that they're both on offense, so he.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Was and one of them was going to win, right.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, Yeah, that was a good thing. I was winning
no matter what, So that was rwesome. But you do
you feel bad for the for the losers, and you
are elated for the for the winners. But it was tough,
you know, seeing my oldest after that, because I knew
how much it meant to him. I knew he wasn't
going to be playing too much longer, and it's tough.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
He just retired, Yes, was it two weeks ago? Formally?
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
And he's how old?
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Thirty four?
Speaker 1 (16:55):
No? Six, thirty six, he's thirty six, he's thirty six, right?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Remember their birthdays?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Oh? Yeah, yeah, I do. No October fifth, Yes, I do.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Okay, that's easy, that's.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Easy for sure.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
But in addition to being a banker, you were a mom,
You ran the household. You got divorced at what age
I was.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
It was after the kids were out of college, so.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You had you had the support of a husband during
the boys too, during their whole developmental high school years.
Ed and I, oh, that's good.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
We worked together as a team, and it was it's very,
very difficult to raise cholka on your own, and with
as active as they were, how do you do that
on your own? So we decided that we would be
married throughout the entire time that the kids were in
the house, and that's the way it worked out.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Well, that's so smart and so lucky that you did that.
I lucky for them too, because it's such so hard
to to do that on your own. My daughter, she's
a single mom and with an eleven and a twelve
year old who go in different directions, you know, after
school on weekends. She's become a soccer expert. But I'm
(18:10):
surprised because it never interested her at all before this
kid came along.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Well, you have an invested interest when your children are
playing because you know somebody on the field. So once
you know somebody on the field, you tend to really
enjoy the games.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Right, And then then you get to meet the other
parents and you get to talk and you get to compare.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Right.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
And what did people think by the time they got
into high school? What do they think about you? Were
they envious that you had two such powerhouses?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
No, I think a lot of them thought that they
were good because they just grew faster than everybody else.
I think they knew that they had talent, but I
don't think they really shined until they got to college.
I mean, they were good, don't get me wrong. They're
probably the best in the area. But you don't know
how that relates to the country. All you know is
(19:01):
your small town, your state, and you don't know until
they actually get in college and they play against kids
all across the country.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
What colleges did they go to.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
They both of them went to University of Cincinnati, and
at that time, it was not a legacy school where
it was one of the top ones like Alabama or
a house state or whatever. They played a Division one
which was in the Big East, and they played against
really good competition. But they wanted to play, and they knew,
(19:32):
because of their sizes and maybe that they didn't have
the competition level that everybody else did, that they would
go to maybe a Division one school, but not a
major powerhouse because they did not want to sit on
the bench. They wanted to play. And whatever happens happened,
you know.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
So hometown turned out to be the right hometown.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah it did, it did.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Yeah, fantastic, it's naughty a couple of times. It's a
lovely it's a lovely town.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah, that's a good one, right on the river, really beautiful.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
So what were the most important values that you instilled
in your boys, do you think and that's stuck.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I think the importance of being loyal to your friends,
that you be kind to everyone. That no matter if
somebody's at school and it's the individual that's cleaning the toilets,
or if it's a principal or a teacher or somebody
(20:35):
that has a disability, that you treat everyone equally and
with respect. I think that's the most important thing. And
if you see someone in trouble, help you know. And
if you see somebody that's being bullied or anything like that,
try and step in and get in between that person.
Because they were big, so they could make a difference
(20:57):
and make sure that that child was okay. So they
did that a lot, and sometimes they went a little crazy.
And so I was in the principal's office and I'm like, look,
they were helping this kid out who was being bullied.
And I said, I'll stand behind that every day of
the week.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
And your sons have very different pregame styles well documented.
Do they explain anything about their personalities as young boys?
Speaker 2 (21:26):
No, I don't think so. I think that Jason's always
had a funny streak in him when he's in small groups.
He really has a good sense of humor. Travis just
likes to be silly. He likes to make people laugh.
He's a good comedian. Jason's more pensive. He thinks about
things and has a bigger vocabulary obviously, But it's just
(21:50):
I think they're very similar and very different. Jason doesn't
really care what people think about him, about his clothing
about the only thing he wants to people to remember
is that he gave everything he had in whatever he did.
That he was giving one hundred percent all the time.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Well, now that he's retired from the NFL, what's he
going to do?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I think he's going to be going with ESPN. I
don't know if it's like for sure final, but I
know he's going to be doing something for Monday night football,
and I don't know exactly what that entails, but I
think he'll be good at it as he gets the gap,
so he should be.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Yeah, so's he's excellent in media too.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Yeah, he does a good job, so does Travis. I
think they found out through the podcast that it worked
even before Travis's significant other. It was just really their
podcast did very very well.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Does Jason have a girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Jason's married to Kylie and that Oh that's right, that's right. Yes,
three grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Oh boy. Yeah, he's very different life than Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Yeah, he's very much much you know, the dad, the husband,
he's a well rounded person. I think no matter what
he chooses, I think he'll do well at I think
both of them well because you know, Travis's football career
isn't going to last forever either, and he'll have to
choose something else to It's just putting their mind to
it and deciding what they want to do. But it
will never compare to the elation and the crowds cheering
(23:24):
at them like it does in football. That'll never be
the same.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You know, I was at the Super Bowl this this
recent one where Kansas City, of course won. How do
they deal with the long interludes while the commercials are playing,
when they're all kind of huddled on the field or
they're huddled on the benches. Does that bother them a lot?
Those big interludes in the game.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
When you first go to the Super Bowl, it is
hard for them to get used to it because there
are long periods of time. You want to make sure
that your muscles do not atrophy and they don't lock
up on you. So you have to keep moving. You
have to keep doing things to make sure that your muscles.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
So that's why that's why they're always kicking and jumping
and running around.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Yeah, they have to make sure like they're glutes. Travis
played in the game, I think it was against Miami
and it was like twenty degrees below zero on the
field and he never sits on the bench and he said, Mom,
I had to because I could not feel my hands,
I could not feel my behind. And he said, I
knew that if I didn't do that, I wouldn't be
able to run. So there are things that you do,
(24:42):
no matter whether it's a weather related issue or whether
it's commercials or long. You know, halftimes, they have a
lot of time sitting on the bench and it sometimes
it's not good, and if teams have not been there before,
they have a hard time dealing with it.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
At home, you don't feel the delay because you're watching
the fun commercial. Yeah, and that's why that's why those
delays occur. But it gets you know, you drink too much,
you talk to your friends too much, and it seems
to everything seems to come to a halt, and it's
so jarring. And you know, I enjoy watching football. I
can see more at home, but to be there with everything,
(25:23):
to hear the crowd yelling and see the lights and
the fireworks and everything, it's it's a show. So it's
very good. It is very entertaining. It's very exciting too.
But let's talk about that Super Bowl twenty twenty three,
the Kelsey Bowl. So you said that you knew somebody
in your family was going to win, which is a
very fabulous, fabulous feeling. But how was Jason at the end.
(25:48):
What did he what did he say? How was he
how did he act?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
He was a true professional. I could tell in his
eyes that he really wanted it bad. I knew he
wanted it bad. And they thought in the until the
fourth quarter got there, they really believe they were gonna win,
and it just cuts sn hatched away from them. And
you know, you put everything into it, You work the
(26:11):
entire season with all these men and you just want
it to happen, and it's just devastating when it doesn't.
So I know it was upset, but he was a
true professional. He says, Mom, you know, go ahead, please
be with Travis and enjoy the moment. I don't want
to take that from you.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
It's so great. So then you became so the focus
of a media frenzy at that time, and now with
with Travis and his girlfriend, you are a real part
of this whole frenzy that's occurring. Did you ever imagine
that your son's careers would turn you into a star
(26:51):
of national ad campaigns. I mean, I've seen your zip
block campaign, that Chunky's soup commercials, all of this is
been great for you.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Yeah, I don't quite understand it myself. I just think
that it's one of those things where it was just
a stroke of luck that they both ended up in
the super Bowl at the end, that luck. I mean,
it was hard work getting there, but you never really know.
They've been playing for at that point for twelve and
(27:22):
ten years, and it's just, you know, we thought it'll
never happen. If it hasn't happened up until this point,
they were never good at the same time.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Was that the first Super Bowl for both of them?
Speaker 2 (27:35):
No, Jason had won one the fifty seconds of both. Okay,
they played against the Patriots. Yeah, Jason actually can say
he'd beat Tom Brady. Oh, that's so great. But no,
that's the only thing he has one up on Travis.
Travis has three rings. But Jason beat Tom Brady in
the Super Bowl. Boy, so that always bragging, right said Thanksgiving?
(27:57):
But yeah, it's you know, it's it's just really really strange.
We really didn't think it was going to happen. We
were hoping it would, and then when it did, we're like, oh, no,
it really did happen. But I don't still to this day,
do not understand why people want to listen to me
or they tell me that I'm like their mom and
(28:19):
I wish I had a mom, you know, and I
don't understand it.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Well, you are our Mother of the Year and we're
celebrating this on Mother's Day twenty twenty four, and I
think it's just great. I mean, you should be so
proud of yourself, not just for giving birth to two
amazing boys, but you have maintained a really lovely demeanor
during this entire time, and you are the all American mom.
(28:48):
So enjoy it because we all think you're great.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Actually, I think maybe people can relate. They can relate.
They know the hours that you spend with kids, they
know the grueling mornings, getting people up and dinners and
driving people all over the place and getting their homework done.
It's just something that we all do as moms.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Well, this entry into big media, which both boys seemed
to be doing and you were doing in your way.
Who drove that decision or was it all of you
talking with each other or did you just did it
just come about individually?
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I think it just happened. They started with the podcast first,
and when it got to the point where they were
in the Super Bowl together and people wanted to talk
to me, I asked them, I said, you know how
open I am about things. I said, is there anything
you do not want me to talk about or that's restricted?
(29:49):
And they said, nope, our life is an open book.
So I said, okay, then I'll then I'll do it.
If they want to talk to me, I'll let them
interview me.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
So well, it's great. Any of the QVC Q fifty,
I'm one two listeners. I am also an ambassador for QVC,
which is the premiere television shopping network, and Donna and
I were in Las Vegas celebrating it and we were
both on the sphere on the Exosphere.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
That was fun. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
What did the boys say to that? Were they thrilled?
Speaker 2 (30:21):
He didn't see it, but they were amazed that I
made it on there? Person or football player I think
that made it up. There was probably Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yes, I remember seeing that.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Yeah, so boy, yeah that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
So but that is a fabulous thing that's sphere in
Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
And yeah, I haven't been there for a concert, but
Jason got to go during this last Super Bowl because
he wasn't playing, And it's just the it's spectacular, just
it is graphics and everything are just amazing.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
And he saw you too, didn't he I went to
the Super Bowl too and that's what I saw, so
he must seen YouTube perform.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
It was incredible, he said, he knew you were there.
I think Sandler and Dana Carey were there too, and
he was quite impressed with all the celebrities that were
there that evening.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
It was amazing.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
And so I'm looking forward to seeing what they each
of them does in the future. And I'm sure you
are too. And would you say that you're the Kardashians
of sports?
Speaker 2 (31:26):
No?
Speaker 1 (31:27):
Non, Maybe we'll see a sitcom with with a bunch
of you.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Well, I don't. I don't think either one of them
want to do like reality Yeah, reality TV. Jace Travis
did it a little bit in the very beginning of
his career, but I think he decided that that's not
something he really wants to do, you know, twenty four
to seven. So they'll do bits and pieces. He'll do
(31:53):
a little bit of game shows. Maybe Jason will do
some production work. You know, it just depends on what
comes their way. They're dabbling in a lot of different
stuff right now.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Oh I bet, I bet. Offers are coming from everywhere.
So you said on the Today Show this past week
that the boys aren't the best with Mother's Day. What
does that mean? Do they forget it or do they
come home? What do they do?
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Well? You know, they always remember my birthday and they're
very generous at giving me gifts and things like that,
trips and what have you, and taking care of mom.
So I don't have anything that I can complain about.
It's just that that's one of those days that's in
the well May they're on their off season, they're traveling,
they're at the Derby, they're doing things and on vacation
(32:42):
and enjoying themselves and I just I don't. I think
it slips their mind and they're like, oh Jesus, Mother's Day,
I've better text my mom.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
So what was Travis doing at the derby? He was
all talking about dapper, he was very dapper. But what
was he doing there? Does they have a horse?
Speaker 2 (32:58):
I don't think. Oh no, I think one of his friends,
that's another athlete was there and he had a horse.
So he was there just enjoying the moment with that person.
And I can't remember which athlete he was there with.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
But oh, it was a beautiful day. It was just
beautiful day.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
I could see that. It was gorgeous. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Is there a favorite gift that the boys have given
you or that you cherish among you know, above all.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Others, you know, not really a gift more of you
know what mom doesn't want their kids to shine, and
both of them have at the highest level in their careers,
and that's a gift to me.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
But I have gotten jewelry that I cherish. Jason has
uh and his wife have given me wonderful trips, you know,
to Europe and what have you. And they are not selfish,
they are not greedy. They are very giving children and
I'm very grateful.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
On your son's podcast, spoke lovingly about the woman your
father married after your mother died, your stepmom. Yeah, what
did what did she do to create this lovely relationship
with you?
Speaker 2 (34:11):
She was just full of love, you know. When she
came into our lives, obviously our mother had passed a
couple of years, and she just came in. It was
like Mary Papa's had felt like Disney, you know, It's
like she just came in and she took care of things,
and you just knew that you could breathe easier when
she was in the house. She was a lovely teacher,
(34:33):
which I think helps with children. You know what motivates kids,
you know, to your a teacher, And she just helped
my brother and I tremendously just believe in ourselves and
know that we could do whatever we wanted when we
grew up. It just it just you have to choose,
you know, to put your whole art into something if
you want it bad enough.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Well, how lucky, how lucky for you that that occurred.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
I was extremely lucky. I've had friends that have not
been as lucky as I have.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Yeah, well, let's talk lastly about being a grandma. Yeah,
now you have three little girls in your life, right,
and after having just two sons. That's very very different,
isn't it is.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
We finally got to do Bippity Bobby Boo at Disney
when we were there at Magic Kingdom. Yeah, it's a
lot different. It's just, you know, the choices that girls make.
It's not all girls, but they tend to go towards
you know, dolls and kitchens, you know, play kitchens and
(35:38):
why it can go around and have one of those
sweeper things in her hand all the time. It's just
I think they just like to, you know, act out
like their mom.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Yeah, they emulate the women in their lives.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
They do so. But they love their dad. And they're
always outside, you know, running around, playing on the swings,
going swimming whatever they can. So they're very, very active.
And I just think that they'll be good at whatever
they do and they'll have the ability and opportunity to
do what they want. But they're sweet. They're all sweet.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
And how's Jason's wife? You get along really well with her?
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Yeah, he got so lucky. She is amazing. Kylie is
just one of a kind. I can't say enough things
about her. She holds the house together, and she is
an amazing.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
I thank you so much, and I just want to
end this by saying, you are, indeed, and you sound
indeed like a really great mom. And I hope that
other mothers listening will take some lessons from you and
offer that same kind of encouragement and stability and really
a sense of well being to their children as you
(36:53):
have to your kids. And I'm very very happy for you, Donna,
and I hope to see you at QVC and our
new job. We have this year long job to do.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Yeah, so I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
I'm sure we'll be bumping into each other.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Probably that's probably the case, but yeah, I'm interested to
see what's going to happen and manifest out of that too.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Well. Thank you so much and keep up the good work.
You are an ideal for all of us.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Thank you now, Mark, I think you set the standard.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Thank you. Yes, Happy Mother's Day you two.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Bye bye
Host
Martha Stewart
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