Jason Kelce Assails 76ers for Controversial New Arena Plan in Philadelphia Radio Hit

The ex-Eagles center teed off on the NBA team's machinations.

May 5, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce encourages the crowd before ringing the bell against the Boston Celtics before game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Since retiring—and since Super Bowl LII in 2018 more broadly—former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has served as a de facto conscience of Philadelphia fans.

Thus, when he discussed the Philadelphia 76ers' controversial new arena proposal Thursday morning on WIP-FM in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love was forced to take notice.

"I would prefer (the 76ers) stay in South Philly, unquestionably," Kelce said. "I'll say this, when it does get built in Center City and all of these people are displaced—at the end of the day people are probably going to love it. In 10 years, all of this is gonna be different, and we're probably going to be really happy that there's this beautiful complex that was developed down there in a thriving part of the city. Right now, I really hate it."

Jason Kelce’s full response to the new agreement to build a Sixers arena in Center City: “At the end of the day people are probably going to love it..But right now I really hate it.”

(@WIPMorningShow)

pic.twitter.com/M1uYBDFWgt https://t.co/FgBOmqkYYq

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) September 19, 2024

The 76ers formalized a deal Wednesday with the city of Philadelphia to build a new arena in the the city's Center City neighborhood, near its Chinatown. Because of this and other factors, the proposal has drawn significant opposition in Philadelphia.

Kelce later clarified that he would prefer the team build a new arena in South Philadelphia, the current site of Wells Fargo Center—comparing the 76ers' perceived strong-arming of the city to ex-Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell's behavior toward Cleveland.

To be clear, I would absolutely support the Sixers building their own arena in South Philadelphia. The renting thing isn’t fair to them, I just hate the strong arming of the city to force an inevitable move into an area that the local residents, and vast majority of… https://t.co/jJifC1XWip

— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) September 19, 2024

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