NFL superstar Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, also an NFL icon, were beaming with pride as they finally received their diplomas from the University of Cincinnati at the end of a live podcast show.

The famous American football siblings put to rest a long-standing joke as they were awarded their honours, celebrating the milestone in their usual exuberant style. Younger brother Travis was seen downing a beer before smashing his cup on the ground, clearly thrilled by the unexpected turn of events.

The brothers returned to Cincinnati for the event at Fifth Third Arena, which turned into a memorable night for all those in attendance as they chatted with stars like Joe Burrow and Desmond Ridder during the lengthy spectacle After four hours on stage, with their parents Donna and Ed watching, they collected their diplomas to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.

John Cunningham, the university’s director of athletics, brought some order to the chaos after a night that saw the brothers also host a spelling bee and a rodeo. Accompanied by Neville Pinto, the president of the university, they presented the brothers with their honours.

Chiefs fan favourite Travis, fresh from his Super Bowl victory, seized the opportunity to give an impromptu speech as he received his degree. Armed with words of advice for his fellow students, he declared: “To all my fellow students … before we make this thing official, I thought I’d give you guys some advice,”.

In a surprising turn, the Chiefs legend infused his speech with some Beastie Boys wisdom, quoting their 1985 smash hit: “You gotta fight. For your right. To PAAAAAAARTY,” and later typically added: “Cincinnati! We love you guys. Don’t forget to get your degrees on the way out.”

Meanwhile, his brother Jason – notorious for never letting Travis forget that he missed his flight to the graduation ceremony – appeared to have been caught up in the festive atmosphere as he confessed being moved by the events of their victorious return to Ohio for the successful live show. In a show of pride, he simply stated: “This is a night to remember.”

The Bearcats’ official Twitter /X account hailed the superstar brothers while they held the stage, posting: “A surprise commencement we’ll never forget. Congratulations to Travis and Jason on (finally) picking up those diplomas! “.

In the past, Travis missed his opportunity to officially receive his honours, much to the annoyance of his brother who teased him about the mishap. In a throwback clip, the retired Eagles star joked: “Travis is supposed to be graduating from Cincinnati this weekend,” adding: “Took him 12 years to graduate” with Travis replying: You’re gonna throw me under the bus like that?”

Clearly irked by the light-hearted ribbing, the Chiefs star responded: “I was a criminal justice major. Not easy to just get out of there in 5 years with a degree. didn’t know what I wanted to learn, so I thought I might as well learn the law. Stay out of jail, Jason. Have you seen me in cuffs before? No.”