NFL superstar Jason Kelce and wife Kylie open up about miscarriage

NFL superstar Jason Kelce recently accepted an award, and during his acceptance speech he opened up about the pain he and his wife, Kylie, experienced as a result of her miscarriage.

Key Takeaways:

• Now retired, Kelce spent 13 years in the NFL as a center for the Philadelphia Eagles; he is widely believed to be one of the best centers in football history.

• Kelce is married to Kylie (McDevitt) Kelce, and the couple has four girls together.

• They suffered a miscarriage in 2018, and Kelce recently spoke about the pain of that loss.

The Backstory:

In October, Kylie opened up about her miscarriage during an episode of her "Not Gonna Lie" podcast. The couple got married in April of 2018, and she became pregnant just months later.

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"After a few months of trying without success, we had our first positive pregnancy test," she said, adding that it was in August of 2018. She continued:

"I went to appointments. I went to my, I think it was a six-week appointment, and the baby was measuring what would have been a few days late. And they said, 'It's still within normal limits, we will see you back for your 12-week appointment.' And I scheduled it for the week following that, which would have been my 13-week appointment, because we had travel plans. We were planning to go when the Eagles played in London, and then follow that up during their bye week immediately after in Ireland. So we were going with family.

It was going to be a time where we were around everyone. I was very much aware of the rate at which people lose pregnancies, and so I was very guarded about telling people outside of my immediate circle. And by the time we went to London, I was supposed to be 12 weeks, and we made it a point to surprise Jason's mom and dad when we were there by pretending to take a photo and telling them that we were expecting."

She later explained the different ways they surprised everyone in their family, taking photos and video each time, with the hope of putting them together as a keepsake. Yet at her 13-week appointment, the baby's heartbeat could not be found, she recalled tearfully. To make matters worse, the news came on Jason's birthday.

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"Having had that experience then messed with my brain for every consecutive pregnancy," she said. She underwent a dilation and evacuation (D&E) to remove her baby's body, which doctors estimated had stopped growing between nine and 10 weeks. And though she has since had four healthy children, she said the pain of that miscarriage is still there.

"This still hurts after having four children because it does, and it's okay for people who are still in their journey and not yet having gotten over the hump of getting to meet your tiny humans that you're making," she said. "I am so sorry for people who have experienced loss... I am also sorry because it doesn't not hurt."

The Details:

According to PEOPLE, Kelce accepted the March of Dimes Sports Achievement Award at the March of Dimes 43rd Annual Sports Luncheon, with his wife, Kylie, introducing him.

While accepting the award, Jason Kelce spoke about the miscarriage and how it affected him:

"I remember going out to my truck in the middle of practice and meetings, overcome with grief and emotion.

You really find out in moments like those how awesome sports are [and] how awesome teams are. There are so many people that shared with me, coaches, teammates, people within the Eagles building, friends of ours, and you really find out how prevalent this actually is. How often miscarriages happen.

And it's something that I think, a lot of times, often doesn't get said and spoken about."

Zoom In:

Other male celebrities, like Machine Gun Kelly, have spoken about the pain pregnancy loss has caused. Ed Sheeran wrote the song "Small Bump" about stillbirth. Yet men largely suffer in silence, which has led others to applaud such celebrities for being open about miscarriage, helping to remove the stigma surrounding miscarriage, particularly for men.

The Bottom Line:

According to The Mayo Clinic, "About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher. This is because many miscarriages happen early on, before people realize they're pregnant."

Though it is a common experience, many people feel shame and guilt, and therefore, keep it to themselves. By sharing their story, Kelce and his wife are helping people realize they are not alone.