Former NFL wide receiver Reggie Wayne discusses a fight he had with teammate Peyton Manning when they were on the Indianapolis Colts.
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Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Drafted in 1998, first-overall by the Indianapolis Colts, Manning has gone on to have a career that NFL fans will remember for as long as the sport exists. His endless list of accolades includes 5x NFL MVP (more than any other player, ever), 2x NFL OPOY, 10 All-Pro selections and 14 Pro-Bowl appearances.
Manning is also a 2x Super Bowl champion. He was named Super Bowl MVP in 2007 when he led the Colts to the title. He also won a ring with the Denver Broncos in 2016, four years after he signed with the team as a free agent. His illustrious career was rewarded when he was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Who is Reggie Wayne, Manning’s teammate who engaged in a shoving-contest with him?
Reggie Wayne was a wide receiver in the NFL for fourteen seasons, all of them spent with the Indianapolis Colts. He was a first round pick by the Colts in 2001, and he definitely lived up to the expectations of the franchise. He made 3 All-Pro teams in his career, two second and one first. Wayne was selected to the Pro-Bowl six times. He was the NFL receiving-yards leader in 2007, with 1,510 receiving yards. He is tenth all-time in receiving-yards and receptions, with 14,345 and 1,070 respectively.
Wayne was also on the Super-Bowl winning Colts squad, when they beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 under the leadership of Manning and HC Tony Dungy. He had 61 receiving-yards in the game, and the only player with a receiving-touchdown. Wayne made outstanding contributions to the NFL and the Colts organisation, resulting in him being inducted to the Indianapolis Colts ring of honour.
What happened between Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning that lead to their scuffle?
On the ‘I AM ATHLETE’ podcast show with Brandon Marshall, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder, Wayne spoke about an incident that led to a fight between him and Manning. It was during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the early 2000’s that the Colts were about to lose. He was disappointed in his performance in the game, having only 32 receiving-yards.
Wayne was called upon by Manning to be a part of the offensive-huddle and while he was approaching the QB, he noticed him saying some things, that Wayne did not like, at all. Wayne said that he was a grown man and he would not accept this sort of slander from anyone, even if it was Peyton Manning. He then went on to push Peyton Manning, to a point where teammates had to separate them. He revealed that the incident was resolved the next day and that it was all back to normal.
Both Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning are men with high self-esteem as made clear by this incident. Regardless of the minor fights they had, they were great on the field together and surely had a lot of respect for each other. They are both immortalised as Colts legends and will stay in the hearts and heads of NFL fans forever.
