From College Suspension to NFL Greatness: Travis Kelce Reflects on How a Marijuana Suspension Shaped His Draft Journey

April 30, 2025 — Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end and one of the NFL’s most celebrated players, recently opened up about a pivotal moment in his career that nearly altered his path to greatness. On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, co-hosted with his brother Jason Kelce, Travis revisited his 2010 suspension from the University of Cincinnati football team for failing a marijuana drug test—and how it impacted his 2013 NFL Draft prospects.

A College Misstep with Lasting Consequences

Kelce’s journey to NFL stardom wasn’t always smooth. As a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati in 2010, the then-20-year-old faced a one-year suspension after failing a drug test for marijuana use. At the time, Kelce was splitting time between tight end and wildcat quarterback, still searching for his true position on the field. The suspension, which caused him to miss the entire 2010 season—including Cincinnati’s appearance in the Sugar Bowl—became a significant “red flag” for NFL teams evaluating him years later.

During the New Heights podcast episode released on April 30, 2025, Travis and Jason, a retired NFL center and Super Bowl champion himself, discussed how this incident shaped Travis’ draft stock. “You had a few injuries, and then you obviously had the marijuana thing stemming from your sophomore year,” Jason noted, reflecting on the concerns that surrounded Travis heading into the 2013 NFL Draft. Travis, now 35, laughed at his brother’s choice of words, joking, “You saying ‘marijuana’ makes it sound so more