Manning to have plenty of football in his life this fall
If you are worried about Peyton Manning and football withdrawals, don't be.
'The Sheriff' is doing just fine and has plenty of ball planned for himself this fall.
“I am really excited about having a free fall for the first time in 22 years. Shockingly it's going to involve some football,” said Manning, who was in Knoxville in part to present the 2016 Peyton Manning Scholarship Recipients.I will be at the Battle of Bristol. “I will be at the Tennessee-Alabama game. And I'm going to College Station. A game on the road. I figure that will be a neat place to watch a game especially with my team playing there.
"I have some Broncos games on my list. We have a ten year reunion of our Colts Super Bowl team. I'm going to go see my little brother play in some normal games as opposed to always seeing him play in a Super Bowl where you can't breathe till the last play. So I'm going to go see him play in some regular season games. I'm looking forward to the fall. I'm going over to meet with coach Jones and visit with the captains. Then I'm going to talk to the team this afternoon.
Manning won't be throwing any footballs in Knoxville Monday nor will he throw any of note at his family camp this weekend. In fact, Manning said he hasn't “thrown” since the Super Bowl aside from a few tosses on the White House lawn to some wounded service men.
“I will not workout with the team. I have thrown with the team every year after the scholarship presentation," Manning explained. "So I won't be throwing with them anymore. I will certainly be helping them anyway I can. Josh Dobbs is coming down to the Manning Passing Academy this weekend. He's been there the last couple of years. I have really enjoyed my relationship with Josh. I'm looking forward to him having a great year this season.”
And Manning is perfectly fine with playing the game no longer consuming his life.
“People have asked me during OTA's. Did I have withdrawals and I just have not felt that way,” Manning said. “They say the fall is a whole different deal so I can't tell you 'till I get there, but all I will say is that I didn't get shorted in anyway. I got a full plate of football. I saw it from a lot of different angles. I am very much at peace with it. I'm actually looking forward to this fall and having a little free time.
“I feel like I have been busier than I have ever been. I can no longer say 'hey I have practice that day'. People know I'm available now. So I'm paying off some 15 year commitments. I really wanted to protect my fall to do some things I haven't been able to do in 22 years. I have a couple of fun events recently. We got our Super Bowl rings a couple of weeks ago. I have about a two week window to wear it. I will show it to the team this afternoon. I will have it for the high school kids at the camp then I will put in on the shelf. I went to the White House which is always special. But it's been good.”
On Monday, Manning played in his annual golf tournament to benefit Children's Hospital and announced it would be his final tournament. Then Manning presented scholarships to Benjamin Cruz of Chattanooga, Andrea Ramirez of Cookeville, Chad Smith of Bristol and Courtney Wombles from Loudon. The annual event that's now 19 years old is one of significance to Manning.
“I started as a senior. I received a couple of senior athlete type awards and with it came scholarship money. We immediately formed an endowment and had some people match the gifts that I was granted with. So we immediately formed some seed money for the first Peyton Manning Scholarship. Certainly, Ashley and I have contributed to it over the past 18 years to grow it to four per year. These are almost full scholarships for each of the students. We have been proud to contribute to that. There are a lot of great causes to be involved with out there including the hospitals we have been involved with through the foundation. I'm not sure that a gift of education might not be as good of gift as there is.”
As for his alma mater on the gridiron, Manning is like all fans, excited about the possibilities this season.
“It's going to be an exciting season. When I talk to the team what I want to share is there's nothing like being a senior here," Manning said. "For all the underclassmen to appreciate what it means to be a senior and to give their all. I know when I was an underclassmen I really wanted to win for guys like Bubba Miller and James 'Little Man' Stewart. It's just a special opportunity and this group of seniors have been through a lot. I hope they can finish off their careers here on a positive note and I will be pulling for them every step of the way.”
He's also excited about Jones' recent run of success on the recruiting trail.
“I am very excited. I have enjoyed keeping up with it. The state of Tennessee has a lot of good players this year which is great. It's exciting," Manning said. "Coach Jones and his staff are doing a great job in recruiting. I look forward to having a visit with Butch today. He and I stay in touch on the phone quite a bit. I'm a huge Butch Jones fan. I love his commitment to Tennessee. I feel we have the stability back in our football program that we were used to having for so many years. I'm really looking forward to watching them play.”
That includes seeing them play at a race track will be will be a part of the coin toss. Monday, Manning admitted had he been given the chance he would have relished the opportunity to play at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“It's hard to believe this hasn't happened earlier. I'm sure there have been talks about it. Absolutely I would have loved to have played,” Manning said. “I went to the race for the first time this year. I don't know what I was doing. I was riding a lap in a truck with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for the Nationwide team. Nice plug there. I was just thinking (riding around) there's going to be a football game here. I'm excited for those guys. That's something these guys will never forget. I will be there. I will be at the Kenny Chesney concert the night before and I will be at the coin toss the next night.”