Chip Kelly has established himself as not only the most interesting figure in Philadelphia, but one of the most interesting figures in all of sports. Earlier this month, Sports Illustrated named Kelly the NFL's third most influential person. His unconventional methods and secretive lifestyle have motivated news outlets to try to learn more about the Eagles' enigmatic head coach.
A story written by Washington Post reporter Kent Babb has shed some light on the Kelly's peculiar life, and even interviews his ex-wife, whom Kelly was married to for seven years.
"He was 25 and shy, but when he spoke his words were thoughtful and energetic; football was more than a passion — even then," Kelly's ex-wife, Jennifer Jenkins, said in a phone interview. "The game was a “way of life” for Kelly. He was ambitious and bright, the son of a trial lawyer who believed in challenging the establishment, one of four brothers, a young man determined to leave his mark on the world."
Kelly's love for football has, jokingly, been believed to take precedence over any women in or out of Kelly's life. According to this story, however, football doesn't consume Kelly's heart entirely—just a large portion of it.
Besides the news that, once upon a time, the "lifelong bachelor" was married, the story talks to some of Kelly's former players and fellow coaches. His former boss, Mike Bellotti, said that he knew little about Kelly, but knows that he "hates green vegetables and loves beer." A former player of Kelly's, who witnessed the coach's quirks and odd habits up close, called him "a different kind of weirdo."
With the 2015 season a little under two months away, Eagles fans can get a chance to learn more about their football team's head coach—a man who has gone to great lengths to keep his life shrouded in mystery.
