The most satisfied person at Peyton Manning’s enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last weekend had to be his father.
Whatever Archie Manning’s NFL career lacked — and boy, is that a long list, — the former Ole Miss star has more than made up for it with the success of his three sons, two of whom each won a pair of Super Bowls.
It’s as if the football gods recognized the unfairness of placing Archie on a decade’s worth of horrible New Orleans Saints teams and atoned for it by making his boys champions. It’s a perfect story: Every father wants his sons to exceed his achievements. And Archie’s have.
Good for Archie Who, a hero of Southeastern Conference football, but Peyton earned the stage last weekend and had some insightful things to say. After he finished, NFL Network host Rich Eisen remarked, “That wasn’t just a speech. That was a presentation.”
While Manning had a good time teasing Tom Brady and Ray Lewis, some of his other comments were so inspirational that he’s now being seriously discussed as a candidate for the next NFL commissioner. That seems unlikely, but what better football ambassadors can there be than Peyton Manning and his extended family?Here’s what Manning said that resonated:
“I’m not done with this game. I never will be. I’m committed to ensuring its future and I hope you will join me in that commitment. As members of this honored class, we have a responsibility to make this game stronger, from the corner playground to the most celebrated stadiums.
“During the past few years the game of football has been challenged by an explosion of sports and entertainment options, safety concerns, erupting social justice issues and a worldwide pandemic. Displaced fans have taken on an entirely new meaning, as our stadiums have been shut down and fans shut out. We certainly shouldn’t walk away now.
“When we leave this stage tonight, it is no longer about us. It is about cultivating this game that has given so much to us. It’s about nurturing football to live another day, another year, decade and another generation.“The future of this game is ours to shape. We just need to take tomorrow on our shoulders as readily as we donned our pads before each game.”
Manning was right on the mark. It’s just like when he played quarterback: He wasn’t looking at the next play, he was looking way past that, figuring out how to win over the long term.
A lot of football fans have given up on the NFL in the last few years, turned off by the nine-figure contracts and the pre-game social justice kneeling.
Heads up: College football isn’t far behind. Players are about to start making money and it’s no stretch to envision 20-year-olds making social justice statements. Texas and Oklahoma aren’t coming into the SEC to break even, right?
But Peyton Manning says football, at all levels, despite all its flaws, is too great to let it fade away. He is absolutely correct.
