Kelce was 20 and coming to the end of his first year playing at the University of Cincinnati when the Bearcats were invited to play in the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, in January 2010.
It was an exhibition rather than a championship game so Kelce and his team-mates had time to unwind beforehand at the Superdome, which will host Super Bowl 59.
If you spend any time in the French Quarter, it is easy to get carried along with the party atmosphere – and the Bearcats certainly had a good time. Perhaps too good.
They were beaten 51-24 by Florida, with Kelce having just one carry. Worse was to follow when it emerged Kelce had failed a drugs test, testing positive for marijuana.
Competition rules meant Kelce had to serve a one-year suspension, but his older brother Jason Kelce, who was also on the team, convinced the coaches to give him another chance.
Kelce converted from a part-time quarterback to a full-time tight end, before entering the NFL draft in 2013.
Some character concerns remained and he was selected later than he had hoped – 63rd overall by the Chiefs, who had just appointed Andy Reid as their new head coach.
Reid already knew Jason, having drafted him two years earlier while coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and he told him: “You’re vouching for this guy.”
