One day before Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL, he and Travis Kelce made an appearance at a local Philadelphia fundraiser on Sunday that was organized in memory of an NFL fan who died from colorectal cancer last year.
The fundraising event, for Team Rectify, was held in honor of Brendan McDermott, a 38-year-old Philadelphia Eagles fan and father who died last May. Brendan’s widow Meghan O’Brien McDermott and his sister-in-law Jess Viola, who are behind the Team Rectify cause, shared photos alongside the Kelce brothers at their event on Sunday.
“These two are awesome,” Viola wrote on Instagram. “I know Brendan is smiling down right now. Some legends wearing #teamrectify hats. If you haven’t donated yet, here’s your sign.” Meghan, who wrote on Instagram that it’s her life’s goal to raise money “in honor of Brendan to find less toxic treatments and one day a cure for colorectal cancer,” also shared photos of the NFL brothers at the event on Sunday.
“Today, my sister @jesscviola gave some Team Rectify gear to @jason.kelce and @killatrav. Besides Anna and Otis, the @philadelphiaeagles were his next great loves of his life so it’s amazing to see one of his favorite players and his brother rock Team Rectify gear!”
McDermott was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in November 2018, according to his obituary. “Despite countless surgeries, procedures, hospitalizations, treatments, and hours of travel between Philly and Memorial Sloan Kettering, Brendan always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude,” the memorial reads. “He never let cancer stop him from enjoying his life.”
McDermott died at home last May “shortly after giving his beloved daughter, Anne Reese, a goodnight kiss,” according to his obituary. At the event on Sunday in McDermott’s honor, his widow and sister-in-law smiled as they joined local firefighters and posed with Travis, 34, and Jason, 36, for pictures. One of the photos Meghan shared in her post shows Jason and her sister smiling as they share a hug at the event.
The fundraiser appearance comes at a big time for both the Kelce brothers. Sunday’s event was one day before Jason announced he would retire from the NFL during a tearful speech with his family in attendance. Meanwhile, Travis continues to jet across the world to both spend time with girlfriend Taylor Swift and celebrate his Kansas City Chiefs teams’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
Travis recently flew to Australia to spend time with Swift, 34, while she was in the country for four shows as part of her Eras Tour performance. Swift continued her tour in Singapore this weekend while Travis flew back to Philadelphia to spend time with his brother ahead of his retirement announcement on Monday. A source close to the Kelce family told PEOPLE last month that Travis is looking forward to the offseason and is “ready for some downtime now and to show up for Taylor the way she has for him.”
