Jason Kelce, the center for the Philadelphia Eagles and sibling of Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, recently captured attention for his kind gesture toward a young boy from North Texas.
The story unfolded after Super Bowl LVIII, where Jason gained fame for appearing at afterparties donning a luchador mask, a Mexican wrestling mask that covers the head and neck entirely. The mask quickly went viral, sparking curiosity about its origin.
As it turns out, the mask belonged to Elijah Smith, an eighth-grader from Dallas. Elijah’s family revealed that Kelce unintentionally took the boy’s mask after they snapped a photo together at a pre-party event before the late-night celebration with the Kelces and others.
“I gave him my mask, and then he dropped it and then picked it back up,” recalled Smith, a devoted Chiefs fan. “Then I got a picture with him wearing it, and then I just hung out next to them for five to 10 minutes; they were dancing and everything.”
Elijah’s parents, Thad and Sarah Smith, shared that their son had worn the lucky mask at the Super Bowl LVII after-party in 2023. Chiefs player Trent McDuffie had even signed the mask, leaving a large autograph on the side.
Elijah recounted how he and his friend attempted to catch up with Jason to retrieve the mask, but the large crowd and noise thwarted their efforts. Days later, Elijah saw videos on Instagram showing Kelce wearing the mask at subsequent after-parties, indicating he never took it off the entire night.
The Smiths expressed their desire to retrieve the mask, which had been to four Super Bowls, to use it as a good luck charm for the upcoming season. However, they remained grateful for the experience if they couldn’t retrieve it.
Kelce learned of the story after it aired on NBC 5 and initiated “Operation ‘Get Elijah His Mask Back’!” on X. He thanked everyone for bringing the matter to his attention and expressed his eagerness to return the mask to Elijah.
