Head Team Physician Thomas Klootwyk Steps Down After More Than Two Decades with the Colts

CARMEL, Ind. – After 23 years spent assisting with and directing the medical care of the Indianapolis Colts, the team announces current head team physician Dr. Thomas Klootwyk will be stepping down from the role.

Klootwyk, a fellowship-trained orthopedic specialist at Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, previously known as Methodist Sports Medicine, joined the Colts in 1999 – the start of a partnership that spanned more than two decades and included hundreds of injuries treated.

“Dr. Klootwyk’s leadership and guidance guaranteed our players were in the best possible hands – on and off the field, on game day and throughout the year,” said Jim Irsay, Colts owner and CEO. “We couldn’t be more grateful for his service, professionalism and friendship over the last two decades.”

After first serving as an orthopedic consultant and associate team physician, Klootwyk was named the Colts’ head team physician following the retirement of longtime physician Dr. Arthur Rettig in 2017. Under Klootwyk’s leadership, the Colts’ lineup of sports medicine and other medical specialists continued a long-standing tradition of keeping players safe, and in the event of injury, providing the highest quality of care to get them back to what they do best.

While individual season highlights include two Super Bowl runs, Klootwyk says the overall highlight of his experience involves friendships built over two decades. “When I look back, the relationships I’ve made are more of a highlight than any one season or achievement,” said Klootwyk.

“I would like to thank Jim Irsay, the entire Irsay family, the trainers, the coaching staff, the management staff and most of all, the players for placing their trust in us. It has been my honor and privilege to represent the Colts franchise as head team physician.”

While he will no longer lead the sports medicine roster, Klootwyk will continue to serve the Colts as a team consultant. He will also continue to treat patients at Forté’s clinics in Carmel and Greenwood. The search for the Colts’ new head team physician is complete, and a formal announcement is expected prior to the team’s first pre-season matchup against the Buffalo Bills on August 13.

About Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics

Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, previously known as Methodist Sports Medicine, is an independent, physician-owned orthopedic practice recognized as one of the region’s most respected orthopedic groups. Founded in 1983 as one of the country’s original sports medicine practices, Forté’s physicians and staff provide comprehensive, specialized sports medicine and orthopedic care to patients of all ages.

Clinical evaluations performed by highly skilled fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons, combined with advanced surgical techniques and comprehensive non-surgical treatment options, provide patients with exceptional treatment outcomes and a return to active living. Forté provides patients with expert orthopedic care in several sub-specialties, including hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder; foot and ankle; hip and knee; joint replacement and revision; spine care and sports medicine. Forté has been trusted by the Indianapolis Colts as their official team physicians since 1983 and serve as the orthopedic provider for Purdue University, Butler University, Indiana State University and numerous high schools and public safety departments throughout central Indiana.

Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics also innovates daily through a separate 501(c)(3), Forté Orthopedic Research Institute, that improves the lives of patients everywhere through advanced clinical research and education.