Peyton Manning has long been known as one of the classiest people in the NFL. From the way he treats the trainers, staff, and everyday people, from the handwritten letters he writes to retired players thanking them for their service in the NFL. This past February, Peyton reached out to Richard Sherman to make sure he was ok, just hours after suffering a devastating loss in the Super Bowl. The charitable acts, reported and private, are just examples of a good all around person trying to do right by people.
The latest news should come as no surprise:
A couple of weeks ago, Manning and some of his ex-Colts teammates got together for a golf trip and they started texting some of their former teammates who weren't there.
And when team owner Jim Irsay was arrested last month on suspicion of intoxicated driving and other charges, Manning said he contacted Irsay though he wouldn't elaborate on what the message was.
"That's a private topic," Manning said. "It's very private and very personal."
If you remember, last season about week 7 when the Broncos and Colts were scheduled to do battle, Irsay marginalized Peyton's tenure with the Colts by bemoaning the fact that the team had "only" won one Super Bowl Championship. Irsay went on further by labeling Peyton's contributions "Star Wars" numbers.
This past March Irsay was arrested for driving under the influence. He subsequently checked into rehab.
Manning has been blasted by the media, and even questioned locally by bloggers and radio personalities alike for refusing to talk in depth about the Super Bowl, or for exhibiting the "rah-rah" over the top banter that ran rampant during the Tebow days here in Denver.
All I have to say folks is that you don't have to worry about our signal caller, his head is in the right place. You might not get something like "Balls on table" from him, but you're also not going to see him give in to mob mentality or treat people unfairly....oh yeah I forgot, he also happens to be a pretty good QB...
Hopefully the storylines surrounding the week 1 matchup with the Colts will be much less personal this time around. Both are projected to field playoff caliber teams. Hopefully Mr. Irsay will take a cue from Peyton and learn to appreciate what he had rather than take it for granted.
GO BRONCOS!!!