Jason Kelce Offers Heartfelt Apology for Taking Kid's Mask and Vows to Return It

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 21: Jason Kelce #62 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates on the field after defeating the New York Giants 38-7 in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

After Sarah Bearden Smith, the mother of 14-year-old Elijah, claimed ownership over Jason Kelce's Chiefs-themed luchador mask—which he went viral for throughout the night of the Super Bowl, and which he told brother Travis Kelce that he'd happened upon on the ground at the first afterparty the group hit up on the latest episode of New Heights—the Eagles center has promised to get the festive piece of merchandise back to its proper home.

He took to Twitter on Feb. 16, announcing that "Operation 'Get Elijah His Mask Back' is underway!" before thanking fans for bringing the teenager and his mom's story to his attention. He added that he "look[s] forward to uniting Elijah with his mask once again."

"Your mask indeed brings great fortune," he continued. "I owe you big time, sorry it was commandeered."

Jason recounted the discovery of the mask on his podcast earlier this week, sharing that he spotted it "being trampled over" as he was looking for his friends.

"I picked it up and right away I was like, 'Oh. Hell. Yes,'" he recalled, leading his brother to question the hygiene of it all.

"Did you at least like give it a little rinse under the sink?" he asked.

"Where was I going to rinse it off, Travis? You see a luchador mask, you don't ask questions. You just put that thing on, baby," Jason countered, going on to apologize to whoever he "stole" it from. "That's part of the beauty of this whole thing. It appeared out of nowhere."

"I for sure thought I was getting pink eye," he added. "There was no chance I thought I was getting out of that mask without having pink eye."

Fortunately, Sarah swore it was "clean" when she revealed the mask's origin, including a photo of Elijah wearing it earlier in the night alongside a snapshot of him posing next to Jason, assumedly just before the NFL star absconded with it.

According to a new interview with Elijah, the 8th grader handed over the mask for the photo op, and continued to hang out with Jason and his posse for several more minutes before things got hectic. He said he tried to run after Jason, but the crowd prevented him from getting the mask back that night.

We can't say we blame Jason for his memory being a little fuzzy—even though he denies drunkenly stumbling into a plant that very same night—and we look forward to seeing Elijah reunited with what is sure to be the prized possession of a lifetime.

Next: Jason Kelce Issues Firm Message to Critics of Travis Kelce’s Mid-Super Bowl Incident With Coach Andy Reid