Dear Peyton Manning,
This is going to sound extremely clichéd and has been said so many times already, but you have changed the NFL. Your career has been amazing, no one can deny it. You broke the all-time touchdown record in 2014 and this year you were the first quarterback ever to win two Super Bowls with two different teams. I have grown up watching you play my whole life. In fact, the first ever NFL game that I went to was to see you and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts play against the St. Louis Rams. Even though I am from St. Louis, I have no shame in saying that I was rooting for the Colts that day. You guys won that game and many others because of the raw talent that you possess and your desire to win. I respect you so much for your ability to achieve greatness on the field. However, I respect you more for what you did off of the football field.
I can only imagine how difficult preparing for a game every week is. There is so much to learn about every team and so little time to learn it. There are defensive plays, offensive plays, what types of defense they favor, and let’s not forget the hours of game footage to review. You made it a priority to go through ALL of it. You would pour over every single detail, so you could be as prepared as possible. You knew that the physical aspects of the game could only get you so far. This is one of the ways you changed the game, by showing us all that the mental aspect is the most important key to winning. You taught us that it is not good enough to rely on talent, mental preparation is the real key to success and the only way to achieve that is through hard work. I am sure that many players, young athletes, and their parents would thank you for teaching them this.
Not only have you impacted the NFL, but you have also majorly impacted the communities that you played for. When you created the Peyback Foundation in 1999, I do not know if you knew how important it would become. With your help, the kids that are served have received opportunities that they never would have had before. Your foundation has helped at-risk youth, children in the hospital, and young athletes all around the county. You even have partnered with St. Vincent Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana! Even to this day, you still communicate regularly with patients in the hospital and encourage them in their battles. It must mean the world to those children to know that you will always be cheering for them.
As fun as it is to watch you on the football field, it is also just as much fun to watch you on television. For instance, thank you for getting that annoying Nationwide jingle stuck in my head every time your commercial airs. If I see it once it is literally stuck in my head the rest of the day, I start saying everything to the tune of the Nationwide jingle too. Your sketches on SNL were also pretty funny too, especially the United Way sketch. You are not afraid to make fun of yourself, which is not easy to come by now. You do not care what other people think of you, it matters more what you think of yourself.
One of the biggest reasons that I respect you so much is because of your commitment to your faith. You are not as vocal about your faith as other players are and that is okay. Like you often say, it does not make you any less of a Christian if you do not sing God’s praises every time the media is around. You have to walk the walk just as much as you talk the talk. Thank you for being a good role model for making faith the number one priority in your life. You put your faith above everything; friends, family, even football. You have shown us to rely on God in all moments of our lives. To look to him during the good times, the bad times, and the times when we are afraid of what the future may hold.
This season the NFL will not be the same without you. You changed the game in ways that people never thought possible. You broke multiple records, won Super Bowls, and created a legacy that will not be forgotten. Enjoy your retirement Peyton.
Omaha! Omaha! Omaha!
