By Rachel Terrill, Player Engagement Insider
When the Indianapolis Colts played the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London as a part of the International Series this season, it was the first time nine-year NFL veteran Joe Reitz played in an international game.
When Reitz’s wife, Jill, learned that he would be playing in London, she was thrilled. “Both Joe and I were so excited that the Colts were playing in London,” she said. “Joe was so encouraging of me to go and take a 'mini-vaca' since neither of us had been to London before,” she said.
Initially, Jill considered traveling to the game with the couple’s three children. But without knowing the exact timeframe for the team’s travel, she decided to make it a girls’ trip. She and her mom traveled across the pond where they also met up with fellow Colts wives and girlfriends to see the sites of London.
Despite the final score of the game, Jill’s trip to London did not disappoint. I caught up with her to ask about her international NFL adventure.
What was most exciting about watching an NFL game in London?
As intimidating as it can feel to watch a game in any stadium away from home, I really do love seeing the different game day atmospheres that each NFL team creates. Because it was an overseas game and a lot of the fans didn't have really strong allegiances to either team, the atmosphere was really cool and almost relaxed, which is so different from anything I have ever experienced at another away game. There were not as many die hard fans for a single team roaming around the stadium shouting and rooting and yelling in your ear!
How did UK fans respond to the game?
The fans were great. Like I mentioned, they were not the types of fans that many of the NFL wives and girlfriends are used to experiencing when we travel to see our guys play. I am positive that all 32 teams were represented at the game. I think the best sight to see was a group of seven guys ALL wearing different jerseys from completely different conferences and completely different divisions. Not one of them was wearing a Colts or Jaguars jersey. You would never see that here in the United States.
What touristy things did you do while you were in London?
I traveled with my mom and she had every minute of every day planned to perfection. She actually hooked us up with London Passes that granted us access to pretty much anything and everything we wanted to see.
Our hotel was near Piccadilly Circus, which seemed like one of the main "hubs" of downtown London. It was bustling there every day. We explored a little our first day and checked out a few of the landmarks that were within walking distance such as Hyde Park and the statues near Buckingham Palace. We ate at several amazing restaurants also near Piccadilly Circus. We toured the Royal Mews and actually scored tickets to tour Buckingham Palace before the Queen returned from holiday. That was really cool. We toured the Tower of London, which I totally recommend. We toured Tower Bridge, walked up and down The Thames and ate at a few fun restaurants. We also did a Hop-on Hop-off bus and boat tour and rode The Tube a few times to get to different tourist spots.
By the time the game rolled around on Sunday, I was just glad to be doing only one set activity for that day.
Why is it important to you to support Joe's career?
My highest priority is supporting my husband in all that he does. This career path (NFL football) that he's chosen is a tough one – although it is not without its incredible rewards. As with any job, your husband always needs a supportive, uplifting wife. In this profession, our guys are spending countless hours being analyzed and critiqued. They need to know we have enduring love and support for them. I don’t want Joe to ever doubt how proud I am of him!
There are a million reasons why I love Joe, but I think the number one reason is his unwavering commitment to loving his family and serving us through his faith. In my eyes, he is such a servant leader in and around our home, especially with our kids. To see him be that same man around his teammates, around our friends, around fans, and around our community is pretty cool and couldn't make me more proud to be his wife!
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Dubbed “Dr. Love” for her work on marriage and relationships, Rachel Terrill is passionate about making marriages work. For over twelve years, Rachel has researched and written about relationships and marriages of professional athletes. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication from The University of South Florida and she teaches university courses on communication and public speaking. Rachel also serves as a family advisor for the NFL Players Health Study at Harvard University. Her work is featured in radio, television, online, and print publications. Rachel is the wife of Craig Terrill, who played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2004-2011. You can reach her through her website at www.rachelterrill.com.