Philip Rivers needed just the right shoes for the occasion, but not for a dinner party or to a trip to the beach.
The 44-year-old high school football coach needed something he could use on the field for the first time in 5 years. So he pulled a pair of cleats out of his trophy case to use as quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts.
NFL.com reported Sunday morning that he yanked a pair of Reeboks more than a decade old to prepare for a workout that led to his signing with the Colts in the wake of injuries to quarterbacks Daniel Jones (season-ending Achilles) and Riley Leonard (knee, remains active).
The story said former Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had a deal with Reebok during his playing career and arranged for Rivers to get dozens of pairs.
Rivers was busy coaching the St. Michael Catholic football team — which recently finished its season in the Alabama playoffs — when the Colts called last weekend, prompting him to crack open his trophy case.
Rivers last played in the 2020 season for the Colts, their most recent playoff appearance. His return resets the clock for Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility. He was a semifinalist for the current class.
St. Michael co-athletics director Simon Cortopassi (also the football team’s defensive coordinator), said Rivers texted him before he agreed to return to Indy.
“He just said, ‘I’m going for it,'” Cortopassi said. “He was like, ‘There’s only one way to find out if you can do it, and that’s to try it.'”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
