Brent Celek will always be an Eagle.
That sentiment resonated throughout the Delaware Valley on Tuesday afternoon when Celek was released by the Eagles.
It took only hours after the news broke for that sentiment to ring particularly true. Celek, who was the current longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia, attended the Sixers-Pacers game at the Wells Fargo Center.
The best part? On the day he got cut, he was still rocking an Eagles hat and then received a lengthy standing ovation. Celek, in his typical unselfish manner, said repeatedly, "Thank you" and "I love you," as he smiled graciously while fans stayed on their feet.
"That's the reason why I'm probably not crying right now because I know at the end of the day, we brought the city what they needed and what they wanted," Celek said in an interview (which you can watch above) with NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark.
Watch the standing ovation below from multiple angles:
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Philly showing Celek some well-deserved love tonight in Wells Fargo Center 💚 pic.twitter.com/GdlgZlOFBL— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 13, 2018
Brent Celek at Sixers game tonight after getting released today
Long standing 👏🏻👏🏻from fans
Brent: "I love you" "Thank you"#ThanksBrent#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/7Uukcu4ZYy— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 13, 2018
Brent Celek gets a loud ovation from #Sixers fans: pic.twitter.com/Isigd4vIbc— Jessica Camerato (@JCameratoNBCS) March 13, 2018
Brent Celek soaking in the cheers. pic.twitter.com/qMcT6CNwnM— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) March 13, 2018
This won't be the last standing ovation Celek receives in Philadelphia.
After all, he's the ultimate Eagle - and now a champion forever.
