Mike Vanderjagt is headed back to Indianapolis, and Peyton Manning made sure the moment came with a familiar touch.
The former Colts kicker is set to become the head coach of the Indianpolis Capitols in the Continental football League, and Manning sent along a video message to congratulate him on the move.
Vanderjagt explained that the video started with a phone call he made to Manning the day before.
"I called him the day before, and I cold called him," Vanderjagt said. "I didn't text and and go hey are you around.
So I called him. He answered, which is cool.
We have the same birthday, so we wish each other happy birthday every year, so we've stayed in touch. People might think that's crazy that we actually do like each other.
So I said to him, 'This is what I got going on.' He's like, 'Wow man, congratulations.'
And I said, 'Listen, we need to squash this whole thing, what do you want to do?' He's like, 'Dude, I'm up, let's do something fun.'
So anyway, before you know it, he's like, 'How's this video look?' And I was just like, alright, cool, let's go with it."
Manning’s message kept the focus on Vanderjagt’s background and his ties to the city.
“I know first-hand how competitive you are, how much you understand the game and how much you love the sport of football and the city of Indianapolis,” Manning said in the video. “So, I’m very excited to see you take on this next challenge.”
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