Gabriel Sewell Jr. is one of four Sewell brothers who play professional football, including Penei, a first-round draft pick by the Lions in 2021.
Ypsilanti — There’s a second United States Football League team that calls Detroit’s Ford Field home, though it might not always feel that way for most of the Philadelphia Stars.
There are a few exceptions, though — most notably linebacker Gabriel Sewell Jr.
Last Sunday, he played his first game at Ford Field, which is the fall workplace for his younger brother, Detroit Lions star offensive tackle Penei Sewell, a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He had six tackles, including three solos, in Philadelphia’s 21-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Maulers, though the experience stood out, despite the defeat.
“It’s surreal, you know,” Gabe Sewell said after a recent practice at Eastern Michigan, while walking to lift weights. “Playing on an NFL field, you’re one step closer to the dream.
“I was just soaking it in with the players that have played on the field; a lot of great players have been on the same field. It’s just an honor to be at the same place they were.”
This is the second season of the USFL, and the second season in the league for Sewell, 26, who continues to aspire to get to where his brothers are, in the NFL — Penei, 22, is a star with the Lions; Nephi, 24, is a linebacker with the New Orleans Saints; and Noah, 22, is a linebacker who was drafted last week in the fifth round by the Chicago Bears.
Gabe Sewell was a four-year player at the University of Nevada, from 2016-19.
“Oh, honestly, it’s a blessing,” Sewell said of the USFL, which, in its inaugural season, sent dozens of players to NFL training camps, and more than a dozen to 53-man rosters. “I get to continue to play the sport I love. It’s the best job, because it doesn’t feel like a job. It brings me back to just being able to be a kid.
“There’s no worries; just enjoy it.”
Like all the Sewell boys, Gabe got hooked on football as a kid, growing up in American Samoa.
Their father, Gabriel, was a high-school football coach there.
“I started off as a water boy for my dad,” Gabe said. “We’d be playing on the bleachers and stuff, mimicking our own drills while the high-school practices were going on.
“Football was our babysitter.”
The sport also made for a close-knit family, though, as the players all went their own ways — Penei and Noah played at Oregon, Nephi played at Nevada and Utah, and Gabe played at Nevada — this season in the USFL has proven to be a blessing for Gabe.
With the Philadelphia Stars part of the Detroit hub — the eight-team league moved to four hubs for 2023, including Birmingham, Ala.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Canton, Ohio — he’s gotten to spend more time with Penei.
“We grew up with family the most important thing. Now that we’re starting to have our own families, it’s kind of harder to get together,” Gabe said. “So, this is good to be on this side, to be able to spend more time with my family, see how (Penei) lives on this side of the country.
“I’m actually staying with him right now.”
So, free rent?
“Yeah,” Gabe said, laughing. “That’s a blessing.”
The Philadelphia Stars (1-2) play the Houston Gamblers (1-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday, ahead of the Panthers (2-1) hosting the Memphis Showboats (0-3) at 7:30. While the USFL doesn’t release official attendance figures, there appeared to be about 1,000 fans for the Stars’ game last week, compared to more than 7,000 for the Panthers.
While Sewell’s tie to the state is through his brother, the Stars also have a trio of players who played collegiately at Michigan colleges, and all joining Sewell on the Philadelphia defense: Western Michigan end Ali Fayad and tackle Ralph Holley, and Michigan cornerback Channing Stribling.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tonypaul1984