Peyton Manning breaks silence on why he turned down ESPN and Fox
ESPN and Fox Sports desperately tried to woo Peyton Manning into the broadcast booth as the lead analyst for their prime-time NFL games.
He reportedly was offered as much as $10 million a year to replace Jon Gruden on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” or join Fox’s new “Thursday Night Football” package.
Manning, however, rejected the lucrative offers for part-time work — and some wondered why.
There was speculation that it was because he’s enjoying spending time with his wife, Ashley, and their young twins, Marshall and Mosley.
Others pointed to his stated desire to run an NFL team — following in the footsteps of Broncos quarterback-turned-executive John Elway — rather than talking about them.
But the future Hall of Famer had a different explanation Monday during a question-and-answer session at the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, according to Jonathan Maze of Restaurant Business Magazine.
“I don’t want to be a critic at this point,” Manning said. He enjoys being a “fan.”
“I don’t want to be a critic at this point,” Peyton Manning says, saying it doesn’t feel right to become a broadcaster. Also says he enjoys just being a “fan.”
“I still do too many commercials.”#RestaurantLeadership
— Jonathan Maze (@jonathanmaze) April 17, 2018
The retired quarterback then added, “I still do too many commercials.” The affable Manning is a pitchman for Nationwide and DirecTV, among others.
His attendance at this year’s conference was as a speaker rather than a restaurant owner: Last month, Manning sold his stake in 31 Papa John’s pizza franchises in the Denver area.
During his Q&A session, Manning said there’s one thing he doesn’t miss from his playing days with the Colts and Broncos.
“I do not miss getting hit.” Former Colts/Broncos QB Peyton Manning at #RestaurantLeadership.
Says he knew a blindside hit was coming from the crowd reaction before the hit comes.
— Jonathan Maze (@jonathanmaze) April 17, 2018
He said the person who hit him the hardest and most often was Baltimore Ravens great Ray Lewis.
“When he retired that was the greatest day of my life.”
Peyton Manning, saying that Ray Lewis hit him hardest “and most often.” #RestaurantLeadership
— Jonathan Maze (@jonathanmaze) April 17, 2018
With Manning out of the picture, ESPN is casting a wide net for the “Monday Night Football” job. The long list of those who have been considered reportedly includes former players Kurt Warner, Matt Hasselbeck, Brett Favre, Randy Moss, Anthony “Booger” McFarland and Joe Thomas; current players Jason Witten and Greg Olsen; former coach Rex Ryan; and former personnel director Louis Riddick.
Meanwhile, Fox’s Plan B is to enlist its No. 1 NFL team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman for “Thursday Night Football” duty, according to the New York Post.
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