Jerome Bettis discusses Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's return, reflects on Super Bowl XL

USA Today

15 hours ago

This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Pro Football Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis about his participation in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 9-13 at Edgewood Tahoe, his thoughts on Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce's return and his farewell game in Super Bowl XL.
"I feel my game is trending right now, so I gotta as good a chance as any to have a better, better showing than last year," said Bettis regarding his training to compete in the American Century Championship. "My goal every year is to try to beat my best finish. I think some years ago, I finished 15th. So, that's my goal: to beat 15th. I've had a productive week, and I'm excited to go out there, spend some time with guys you don't normally get a chance to see, golf with them, and create some new friendships. I'm looking forward to it."
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce ended speculation at the start of the offseason regarding his future after mulling retirement. He is focused on potentially one more Super Bowl run, and Bettis agrees, but it doesn't require him to put up Pro Bowl numbers.
"So yes, maybe (Travis) Kelce is on his farewell tour, if you call it that. But I promise you, even if he wasn't there, they would still be a quality football team," said Bettis, "Kelce doesn't have to catch eight passes for them to be really good. If he doesn't play well, he'll find other ways to beat you."
Bettis utilized his wisdom and leadership skills over statistics during his final season in the league and carried them through the journey to Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit.
"Yeah. It was different for me because I had never been there before, so I knew it was my last game, but this is why I came back. This is why I stayed. This is why I played the game I played to have an opportunity to win a championship," said Bettis, "The Super Bowl is in my hometown. It's everything I ever wanted. So, it wasn't like a big pressure on my back. It was more of the excitement of the moment. I've been waiting for this my whole career, and it's coming down to this moment. So I was excited about the opportunity."
The Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10, securing Bettis' only Super Bowl title in his Hall of Fame career. He detailed his mindset throughout the moment and encouraged teammates to achieve the ultimate goal.
"So I thought, let's go out, leave it all out here, and see what happens, and if we lose, I could tip my cap to those guys over there and say, hey, great job, and I can lead knowing that I did the best that I could do, and my whole goal when I got to Pittsburgh was to help lead this franchise back to another championship" said Bettis, "So, win, lose, or draw, I would have fulfilled. I thought my obligation as a player, as a leader on this team, is to help get this team back to a championship because that's the standard, and that's, I think, what every player on that team right now should be saying themselves. I helped get us there, and now we gotta go out there and win it so we'll have that moment we're all cherished for a lifetime."
The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, nearly $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in the golf world.
Check out the website for more information about the American Century Championship.