NFL teams are probably some of the most tightly-knit groups known to mankind. Teammates develop and share a bond of brotherhood that lasts for a very long time if things go well. Sometimes, that tightly knit team will have a prankster in its midst, ready to pull one on whoever is unlucky enough to be in their crosshairs. Which is exactly what Peyton Manning was during his time at the Indianapolis Colts.
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Former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne recalls a time when Peyton Manning himself was the subject of a practical joke. Talking on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’, he mentions how Manning was the resident practical jokes expert on the Colts team. He also recalls the time Manning got a taste of his own medicine, becoming the victim of a practical joke himself.
Wayne says, “Peyton is a practical joker. He loves to crack jokes, but he never likes the joke on him. so he was pulling jokes on one of our equipment guys and just kept messing with him. And then, all of a sudden we had practice, and we all get out of practice and get ready to go home, and his whole car is saran wrapped, it’s fully saran wrapped.”
“He didn’t know who did it,” he adds. “He was red. Just think of that big head, it was red. And nobody would say who it was, no snitching allowed right? Peyton Manning does what Peyton Manning do. He called up the dealership, had them come, and take the saran wrap off.”
Peyton Manning: Super Bowl winner and professional prankster for the Colts
Manning’s escapades go far beyond just this one instance. Numerous former teammates have revealed over the years, the extent of Manning’s pranks. Former teammate Jeff Saturday talks about how Manning swapped his pants with another O-Liner, right before a long flight to his first game. Adam Vinatieri says Manning doesn’t care who you are, he’s going to prank you if he can.
Manning’s frugal nature is something not many fans are accustomed to, but his team is for sure. Former assistant coach Clyde Christensen reveals how once before a golf game, he left his car at a gas station to avoid the extra 15 cents a mile for going over the lease limit. On the same day, he surprised Christensen by revealing that he gets cheap golf balls from leftover stacks for family reunions.
Even with all these little quirks, Manning was and still is a favorite among Colts players and fans. With his brother Eli Manning having expressed a desire to return to the NFL as a coach long ago, will Peyton do the same? Will he make a return to coaching his Colts, and lead become a Super Bowl winner as a coach as well?
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