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For Comedienne Sarah Colonna, Being A Player’s Wife Means Football Really Is Family

Sarah Colonna

Sarah Colonna is a comedienne, actress and NY Times Best Selling Author. Sarah was a roundtable regular on “Chelsea Lately.” She can currently be seen on Netflix’s “Insatiable.” She is married to NFL/CFL kicker Jon Ryan, who spent ten years with the Seattle Seahawks.

“In Minnesota there was a playoff game and it was going to be cold. Generally, for home games, there’s a family section where everyone is seated in the same area, but for road games the families are more spread out.  A group of the wives decided that it was going to be one degree in Minnesota, so about ten or twelve wives went in and bought a suite.

In that game, John broke his nose.  It was so cold that the ball was like a brick coming at him and it broke his nose. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great either. I had never seen him get injured before. I didn’t know if he would have a concussion or what was going to happen. He ended up playing the rest of the game like a crazy person with his nose broken, but he said it was so cold he couldn’t feel it. When it happened his whole face was covered in blood so I was very appreciative to be around these women who were super calm and there for me. Right away. They knew what to do and who to call. I was glad to be there with them. They stepped up right away.

The team is very in place when a player gets injured.  They have someone who meets you as the wife and the General Manager comes out and explains exactly what is going to happen.  And they have an ambulance waiting and doctors waiting at the hospital during game days should anyone get hurt. It was nice because the team was on it. Not to just take care of him, but to take care of me.  Nobody left me hanging or sitting out in a room waiting.  Everyone comes together in this way.  When you say football is family it really is because they really take care of you.  And they take care of the smallest details, like how to get his car home, or things like that.  It’s comforting in a really scary moment.

It’s hard to watch games and know what can happen. There was a game in Dallas where a player got really badly injured.  There was a guy sitting next to me who said the player’s injury screwed up his fantasy team.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry at someone in my life.  That injury ended that player’s career. To have someone be so blasé and worried about their fantasy team, this is someone’s life. It becomes super real when you watch people you know get hurt.

Since Jon was old enough, he’s loved football and wanted to play. We’re lucky because he’s in the kicking position. They don’t get injured as often. But he’s an athletic guy so they had a lot of fake plays, which is when he’d get injured.  I am grateful he doesn’t get injured as often, but it happens.  But I don’t wish he did anything different, because he loves it so much. It’s a part of who he is.  Maybe I should, but I don’t.  Football is such a big part of him. I wouldn’t want him to have not done it. “

In addition to playing club dates all over the U.S., Sarah started the stadium-approved bag company, Clutch Women, an alternative to clear bags. Follow her at @SarahColonna1.

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