From Childhood Colts Fan to NFL Practice Squad
📸 Image Credit: AP
For Brett Rypien, this week feels a bit like déjà vu — only this time, he doesn’t need face paint. Brett Rypien’s NFL journey has come full circle. As a 10-year-old, he painted his face in blue and white, cheering for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. Now, nearly two decades later, that young fan has become part of the team he once idolized.
“My mom sent me a picture the other day from that Super Bowl,” Rypien said. “Seeing myself covered in Colts face paint… it’s kind of wild to be here now.”
Football runs in the family. Rypien’s uncle, Mark Rypien, came out of retirement in 2001 to back up Peyton Manning, sparking Brett’s lifelong Colts fandom. “That’s why I picked the Colts,” he said. “It was my first real exposure to the NFL.”
This week, Rypien j...