Carl Eller, Ex-Viking, Is Using the Super Bowl as a Platform

Carl Eller, one of the Minnesota Vikings’ Purple People Eaters from the 1970s, in his pottery studio in Minneapolis.MINNEAPOLIS — The Eagles and the Patriots may be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday, but football fans here will be seeing a lot of former Minnesota Vikings, and they will be hearing a lot from one — Carl Eller. Maybe more than the N.F.L. would like.

Every year, retired N.F.L. stars who played in the city hosting the Super Bowl are trotted out to sign autographs, raise money for charity and work as ambassadors for the league and the home city. In Minneapolis, where the football team has yielded far more heartache than happiness, Eller is part of the most hallowed group of…