‘ESPN Put Him on an Eagles Game,’ ‘He’s a Former Player Not a Journalist’ — Fans Divided Over ESPN’s Effort to Break Jason Kelce’s Eagles Pronoun Habit

By admin — In News — October 12, 2026

   ​Jason Kelce walks on the field before the game between Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)Jason Kelce’s producer didn’t need to see the former center’s first Philadelphia Eagles telecast to know which habit to work on.ESPN producer Jeff Dufine told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a story published Saturday that the crew has tried to stop Kelce from referring to the Eagles in the first person, a comment Awful Announcing, a sports media website, highlighted Monday.Kelce, who spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Eagles, was in the NFL Network booth Sunday for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 19-17 win over Philadelphia in London, decided by Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal as time expired.Jeff Dufine’s Remark Puts Focus on Jason Kelce’s Philadelphia Eagles Assignment“ESPN producer says they’ve tried to get the ‘we’ out of Jason Kelce,” Awful Announcing wrote, relaying the comment from Dufine, a longtime ESPN producer in his first year running the network’s international game broadcasts.“We’ve tried to get the ‘we’ out of him,” Dufine said in the interview, calling it a common mistake for former players and coaches discussing their old teams.The habit had already shown up on national television.Awful Announcing, in its story on Dufine’s comment, wrote that Kelce again referred to the Eagles in the first person Sunday as Philadelphia handed the ball back to Jacksonville.NAME THE PLAYER:PFN’s Free NFL Player Guessing GameSean McClain, answering Awful Announcing’s post, wrote that ESPN brought the issue on itself. “ESPN put him on an Eagles game, the only team he ever played for.”NFL Network, which carried the game, is now owned by ESPN. Eagles-Jaguars was one of four games Kelce is calling for the network this season, a week after his debut on the Indianapolis Colts’ 30-13 win over the Washington Commanders, also in London.Chris Drury, a Jaguars fan, pointed to College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit, writing that “they won’t even let Herbstreit pick the game he’s calling that night for ABC,” while the NFL has no problem putting former players on their old teams’ games.Kelce’s Defenders Say the Analysis Matters More Than the PronounKelce had addressed Jaguars fans on his New Heights podcast before the game, saying he had seen plenty of their accounts that weren’t looking forward to it. “I will be doing my utmost to give you guys the credit you deserve.”The Inquirer’s broadcast recap said Kelce for the most part kept that promise. On air, he called out Eagles receiver Dontayvion Wicks for exaggerating to draw a call and credited DaVon Hamilton for stepping in as Jacksonville’s emergency long snapper. He did react emphatically, though, when quarterback Jalen Hurts fumbled a handoff.Austin Gilles was among the fans who defended the habit outright. “He’s a former player not a journalist…he’s spent a lot of time in Philly   

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