First and foremost, Philip Rivers is heading to Canton, Ohio.
But he’s also making the move back to Alabama to become the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in the town of Fairhope. The 2020 Indianapolis Colts quarterback called it a career after 17 seasons on Wednesday morning.
And the news broke on The Fan Morning Show. When Jeff Rickard and Kevin Bowen were coming back for a new segment, the headline dropped and madness ensued. The writer who had the scoop first, Kevin Acee from the San Diego Union-Tribune, was kind enough to join the show to break down Rivers’ decision.
Acee covered Rivers during his entire run with the San Diego Chargers. Additionally, Acee told the guys that Rivers called him first to let him know about his choice to hang up the cleats.
“We had a very good relationship and still do,” Acee said. “The thing that everyone needs to know about Philip is he gave me a call and to him it was a no brainer. He has been talking about coaching high school football since the day I met him.”
Rivers was a citizen of Indianapolis for less than seven months. And in that time he became a fan favorite. He also became a role model for his young teammates. Anytime a guy like Jonathan Taylor or Michael Pittman Jr. called into The Fan, they were glowing about Rivers as a teammate.
In his time here, Rivers posted the best completion percentage in a single season for a Colt since Peyton Manning. Not too shabby for a 39-year-old.
But Acee also mentioned for how well he has gotten to know Phil, everything came together for him to know it was time.
“From things he had said, he didn’t want to embarrass himself and he didn’t want to play when he knew he couldn’t help a team,” Acee added. “I’m not saying that time had come. Because I believe he can still play. But the draw of coaching high school football and spending time with family all was there.”
The level of phrases like “Shoot” or “Dag Gummit!” will unfortunately drop significantly in 2021. As will the on-field trash talk without any cursing.
But man, was this year fun or what. Rivers was a few plays away from playing another round of NFL playoff football if they could’ve beaten the Buffalo Bills.
Rivers definitely had to earn it after a few rough games to start the year. But when he did, he left the 317 a legacy in months that many could not do in years.
Thank you #17.
