The 2020 NFL season was unlike any other year in the league’s history due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Precautions and multiple safety measures were taken to keep players, coaches, and league personnel safe through uncertain times.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had a great season in 2020, finishing with career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with Kelce, who revealed that he has a superstition that formed as a result of the COVID pandemic and his career year.
“Yeah, I mean, I really don’t have too many superstitions. I would say that if there is one, I wear a wristband on my left arm,” said Kelce. “Because of the COVID year, the COVID year was 2020, I had the best statistical season of my career that year. And that whole offseason, in training camp and all the practices that we went through, I would wear a wristband with a tracker in it so that you could track close contact between all the players.”
The wristbands were mandatory for players and club personnel at the team facility, during practices, and during team travel. The device gathered information about players’ proximity to each other by distance and time length. Kelce and many others used it for the league to perform quick and accurate contact tracing when someone is symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19.
“I would get into the game, and I didn’t have to wear it on my arm in the game because it was in my pads,” said Kelce. “Well, I felt naked on my arms because I was so used to always wearing that wristband, so I threw it on, and that’s about as close as it gets for me in terms of superstition. I wore that wristband, I had the best career season for myself. So, I kind of got that thing rolling after that year.”
Kelce caught 105 passes for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020. It is a unique revelation from the six-time All-Pro tight end and a reminder that inspiration can come from anywhere. He’s continued to wear the wristband on his left arm this season and has continued producing at a high level. Through four games in 2022, Kelce is tracking to set a new career high in receptions and for his seventh consecutive season over 1,000 receiving yards.
[listicle id=137869]