Rising U.S. hockey star Laila Edwards revealed that fellow Cleveland Heights natives Travis and Jason Kelce gave her historic Olympic campaign a major assist ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Edwards, 21, became the first Black woman to make a U.S. Olympic hockey roster when she was named to the 23-woman U.S. squad, alongside Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield. Edwards is set to make her Olympic debut next month and her family and friends will be on hand to cheer her on in person, thanks to a GoFundMe campaign that received a major donation from the Kelce brothers, Edwards revealed on Wednesday.
‘They’ve helped out with my family’s GoFundMe to go (to Italy) and support me,’ Edwards said in an interview with People. ‘My family put up a GoFundMe, and (Travis Kelce) donated… he’s been in touch a little bit on how else he can help… They’re really good people, too, outside of their athletic abilities.’
The GoFundMe campaign has raised over $45K as of Wednesday afternoon to send Edwards’ mother Charone, father Robert and other family members to Milan, Italy, to catch Edwards on Olympic ice and witness history.
Edwards explained that the Kelce brothers’ support extends beyond her family’s fundraiser. Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, gave Edwards a shoutout on their ‘New Heights’ podcast when she became the first Black woman to play for the senior national team in November 2023. A friendship began to bloom.
‘I thought, ‘I’ll just message (the Kelce brothers), thanking them, they’ll never see it,” Edwards recalled. ‘And then Travis (Kelce) and I had a full conversation over DM, and that was super cool… he was a really down-to-earth, humble guy who was super supportive and had really good things to say.’
After Edwards was named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic women’s hockey roster on Jan. 2, Jason and Travis Kelce once again sent her well-wishes. ‘Cleveland Heights’ own Laila Edwards is headed to the Olympics,’ Travis Kelce said on a Jan. 7 episode of ‘New Heights.’ Jason Kelce added, ‘Congrats Laila Edwards!’
Like the Kelce brothers, Edwards was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and said her hometown helped shape and mold her into the person she is today. ‘I owe my community a thanks for that,’ she added.
‘I’ve always felt supported by the people in my hometown growing up throughout this unique journey that I’ve been on,’ Edwards said. ‘That sense of belonging you have in our community has always taught me to make sure everyone feels like they belong. I’ve always liked to put other people first.’
The U.S. women’s national hockey team enters the Milano Cortina Games as the top seed in Group A, which also includes Canada, Finland, Czechia and Switzerland. Edwards and Team USA open the Olympics against Czechia in the preliminary round on Thurs., Feb. 5.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.