On Monday, the Sheriff made it official and called it a career. NFL quarterback Peyton Manning announced his retirement at a press conference on Monday in Englewood, CO.
It was an emotional press conference filled with memories from the past 18 years. He started his speech by recalling the time he met NFL legend Johnny Unitas as a rookie. He said Unitas told him to “stick at it.” 18 years later he hopes he made Unitas proud.
“There’s something about 18 years,” Manning told reporters. “18’s a good number, and today I retire from football.”
Teary-eyed and Choking up at moments, Manning thanked his hometown of New Orleans, his fans and family for standing by him, including his wife Ashley, whom he says “support was as potent as any man can have.”
He spoke of his love for the game and knowing that he’s going to miss it terribly after riding off into the sunset.
“I revere football … so if you wonder if I’ll miss football, absolutely I will.”
He closed his remarks with a scripture (Timothy 4:7) “I have fought the good fight, I’ve finished the race, I’ve kept the faith.”
There was a moment of controversy when a reporter asked Manning about allegations from 20 years ago while he was a freshman at Tennessee involving trainer Jamie Naughright. The incident has been a topic as of late because of a lawsuit being brought against the university.
Manning deflected the question, saying he’s “not interested in re-litigating” something from when he was 19 and then throwing on a one-liner from the movie Forrest Gump.
To check out Peyton’s entire speech, head over to page 2.
