When your bloodline is gifted enough to earn the title of football’s royal family, you would think that it would result in some rather impressive physiques throughout the years. In the case of the Mannings, they are better known for their football prowess than they are their muscles.
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Even still, when he was in the early days of what would ultimately become a 16-year NFL career, Eli Manning was feeling the part of a professional athlete, even if he didn’t look like it. In fact, he was painfully close to taking up the cut-off jersey aesthetic during his practices with the New York Giants, and if it wasn’t for his then-head coach, Tom Coughlin, there likely would have been a few more photographs floating around on the internet right now.
Thanks to characters such as Ezekiel Elliot and a few others, the cut-off jersey style, which has become a not-so-subtle way for athletes to showcase their abdomens, is now the go-to choice for players on the practice field. According to Manning, however, those kinds of fashion statements wouldn’t have been tolerated.
“Coach Coughlin wouldn’t allow it. It was a team rule,” Manning explained before jokingly suggesting that “I definitely had a six pack, really more like an eight pack, but Coach Coughlin didn’t do it. If you go back to my high school film, I had my jersey way cut off. It hardly covered my shoulder pads, you could see everything… I was big on showing off the abs back in the day.”
Keeping in line with his tongue-in-cheek brand of humor, the two-time Super Bowl winner provided that narrative during his post-Manning Cast press conference. Following his coverage of the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-16 routing of the Las Vegas Raiders, which included a short-lived conversation with the former President of the United States, George W. Bush, Manning sat down to reflect on everything from the game itself to Cam Skattebo’s viral taco question.
Suffice to say, it’s another week in the books for the Mannings, and they’ll begin to turn their attention towards this Monday’s match-up between the Bryce Young-led Carolina Panthers and the surging San Francisco 49ers. Thankfully, fans won’t have to worry about any exposed abs in Week 12 either, as the network requires both Eli and Peyton to remain fully clothed at all times.
Although no promises can be made for Week 13, as Eli’s Giants will be stepping into the national spotlight to take on the New England Patriots. He’ll likely do whatever it takes to generate some extra noise and excitement for his underdog of a franchise.
