Both Manning brothers have had some brilliant success on the field, both winning Super Bowls in the era of a quarterback like Tom Brady. With such bright stars emerging from one family, people have always wondered if Archie Manning was the true architect of the dominance the brothers produced on the gridiron. However, Eli Manning cleared the air about his father’s alleged master plan.
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With the kind of pedigree the two brothers have had, everyone has assumed that Archie Manning had orchestrated a master plan of sorts to ensure that both his sons ended up playing in the NFL. However, Eli refuted the rumors back in 2021. While speaking on the famous WHOOP Podcast, Manning said,
“I think a lot of people assume since Peyton and I went on to be professional athletes that he had this master plan that would make you know these kids into professional athletes and nothing could be further from the truth. ”
Manning explained that all the brothers in the Manning family have just always been inclined towards sports. Moreover, they got a lot of support from their family because of how well sports can develop an individual in terms of teamwork and character building. However, Manning himself tried out a lot of different sports before landing on proper tackle football.
The QB played a good amount of flag football, basketball, and even baseball before deciding that football was his favorite. Moreover, Eli had also spoken about how his brothers were an inspiring force in him taking football seriously.
Eli Manning Was Inspired By His Brothers
While Eli denied any master plan concocted by his father, he admitted the huge role his family played in him going pro. The ex-NY Giants QB revealed that his brothers, Peyton and Cooper had a huge impact on him.
He considered his two older brothers his heroes. He would watch them play in school and as a younger sibling, he’d want to be them. Moreover, his brother, Peyton Manning served as the most inspiring force. Eli observed his older brother when he was making his mark in college football.
He opened up on the podcast about Peyton’s focus, explaining that his brother was a living testament to the amount of hard work that goes into playing football and how that blew his mind and inspired him to play as well.
The Manning brothers have been one of the most successful QB-duo to play in the NFL. On the podcast, Eli made it clear that the biggest strength wasn’t having a father from the NFL but a family that supported and inspired him.
