Jason Kelce explains why balancing football and family isn’t simple

The former NFL star, known for his grit on the field and big heart off it, recently opened up about how tough it is to balance work and family life.

The 37-year-old retired football star, who shares four kids with his wife Kylie, said he was lucky to have the “whole crew” together for Mother’s Day. The family had a great day, but he admitted it’s not easy making moments like that happen.

He shared with PEOPLE: "We had a whole crew in. We had a great brunch together, a day together.

"It's special when we all get to get together.

"It's hard. There's a lot of things happening in everybody's lives, so for all the girls and everybody, it was a good day."

However, Jason and his family have been in the spotlight ever since his brother Travis started dating pop star Taylor Swift. His mom Donna Kelce has become a star in her own way, making lots of media appearances in the past couple of years.

When Jason was asked what he wants his kids to learn, he said it’s his mom’s strong "work ethic" that he hopes they’ll carry with them.

He added, "The thing that I would love to instill in my kids is my mom's work ethic and her dedication and sacrifice.

I think when you're younger, you don't realize a lot of that, but as you get older, Mom was working full-time jobs."

The star went on saying: "She was cleaning a lot of the house. She was making a lot of the meals. I think at the time, it's just your mom is being mom and you don't realize everything that she's doing so that you have opportunities and things to achieve your dreams.

"So I think that for me, I would love my girls to really see that hard work and that sacrifice and things that have made her life amazingly successful and enjoyable!"