This week in HS Sports: Steve Rivers says son Philip battled, ‘did all he could do’ in NFL return

This is an opinion piece.
Steve Rivers admits he was somewhat surprised when his son, Philip Rivers, decided to return to the NFL after five years away last month.
At age 44, Philip started three straight games for the Indianapolis Colts, giving the injury-plagued team a boost in an attempt to save fading playoff hopes.
Though Rivers gave the Colts a shot in each game, the wins didn’t come, and the team was ultimately eliminated from the postseason. Rookie Riley Leonard will start the season finale on Sunday. Rivers should be back in Fairhope next week with his full focus back on his high school team at St. Michael Catholic.
“I told Philip yesterday that we were so proud of him,” Steve said. “He battled. He certainly didn’t do any of it for personal gain or hype. It was all for the team. Those linemen he was there with before and those receivers, they wanted him to come back. They needed him, and he wanted to help if he could. He did all he could do. He wasn’t scared to give it a try. He’s not one to back down.”
In his three games as the team’s starter, Rivers completed 58-of-98 passes for 544 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 425 TDs for his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career. He was intercepted three times. His return to the NFL put the Pro Football Hall of Fame on hold until at least 2031 as players have to be retired for five full seasons before induction.
“That wasn’t a factor,” Steve Rivers said of his son delaying his eventual enshrinement. “It’s just not him. We didn’t discuss it at all. I don’t think the Hall of Fame had anything to do with his decision.”
Steve Rivers said his son’s return have made the holidays “awesome in a lot of ways and different in a lot of ways.” Steve and wife Joan were able to attend Philip’s second game in person, a loss to the 49ers in Indianapolis on Monday Night Football.
“We’ve all just been blessed throughout it all, and we are thankful,” he said.
Steve said he, like Philip himself, didn’t know quite what to expect upon his son’s return to pro football.
“It has been five years,” he said. “It’s not like he played last year or the year before. It’s been a while. Pro sports are hard, especially on a quarterback. To play every week for 20 years and then you are away from it for five years, that’s tough. No one had been rushing him for the last five years. When he is throwing passes to his guys at St. Michael, those were uncontested. I know he felt confident once he got up there and got going. He did say the hardest part was just being consistent after the time off.”
Rivers’ return re-ignited his daily vocabulary once again on a national level. “Dadgummit,” “Let’s stinkin go,” and “shoot” became common words and phrases across pro football as they have in the hallways at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope.
Philip Rivers said following last week’s loss to Jacksonville that he got to play three “bonus” games that were never planned. Steve said he thinks this run likely will shut the door for good on his son’s impressive pro career.
“I can’t speak for him, but I would say probably so,” he said. “It wasn’t like just some team needed a quarterback and they thought of him. This was a team and a coach he keeps in close contact with. He knew the playbook and a lot of the players. That made it a very rare situation.”
What Rivers will return to is coaching the Cardinals.
In his first five years as a high school football head coach, Philip has led his team to a 42-16 overall record and three straight playoff berths. In the last two seasons, St. Michael is 25-3 with all three losses coming against two-time state champion Jackson.
For Steve Rivers, a well-known former high school football coach in his own right, his son’s success as a leader of young men makes him just as proud as his success in the NFL.
“We’ve been so blessed from that standpoint as well,” he said. “Philip was coaching when he was 8 or 9 years old in the backyard of our house as he was trying to get kids on the right teams so the game would be even. Since he was old enough to be a ball boy or a manager, he has been at football practice. After his playing career, I knew he would coach. He would be lost without football.”
Steve Rivers attends most of Philip’s high school games, always standing on the field around the 10-yard-line. Another son, Stephen, coaches with Philip. Steve’s grandson Gunner is the team’s junior quarterback. Another grandson, Pete, is a ballboy.
“I love coming to the games,” he said. “I like to be on the field I guess because that is where I was for so many years. It’s a treat to see Philip and Stephen coach, to see Pete running the balls back and forth and Gunner playing.
“How blessed am I from a dad and granddad standpoint?”
Thought for the Week
“Be alert. Continue strong in the faith.
Have courage and be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14