I've never been a Colts or a Broncos fan, but I've always been a fan of football. It's been a bonding mechanism for my dad and I, and something I look forward to every year. Since I began to actually understand the game I remember Peyton Manning's infamous name in stats and sports reports. He's always been admired by players, fans, and coaches as not only a successful player, but as a great person.
After the Denver Bronco's victory against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, it was no surprise that the storm of reporters began to hound the quarterback with questions about whether or not he had just played his last game of football. He had just won his 200th game of his career and became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl title, two incredible accomplishments as a player. As curious as we all are to know if in fact this was Manning's last game of football, its important to point out how gracious and respectful he is being about making this decision.
18 seasons is a lot of time and commitment to football. It's a lifestyle, one of which I'm sure Manning has lived since a young kid. It's important to remember that football is a team sport. Manning kept that in mind the night of his team's big win, and I admire him for that. It would've been easy to announce his retirement in the post game show, but he didn't. Whether it was Peyton's intention or not, he chose not to take away from the entire team's accomplishment to make the night about his career.
He thought about his family and how they play into the situation too. As football is a lifestyle for a player, it is for the entire family. At the end of the game Manning told a reporter after being asked about his future with football:
"I'll take some time to reflect. I got some good advice from Tony Dungy, and he said, 'Don't make an emotional decision,' and this has been an emotional week," Manning said. "I want to go kiss my wife and kiss my kids and I'll take some time to reflect."
CBS sports.com
This goes to show he has his priorities together and knows the importance of not mentioning any sort of decision until he has included his family in his celebration.
Whether this was his last go around or he's in it for another season, I just have to say that I admire Peyton Manning. Although I've never been a fan of your teams, I am a fan of you. If you go out with this win, I must say you've gone out in style.
