Peyton Manning Gets Ready For Dad Archie To Present Him At Hall Of Fame Ceremony: 'He's Had Greatest Impact On My Football, Everyday Life'
CANTON, OH (CBS4)- This weekend will be a special one for Broncos fans as former quarterback Peyton Manning gets enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021 on Sunday. The weekend in Canton is also a special one for the Manning family, as Peyton explained during Thursday night's Hall of Fame game broadcast why he chose his dad Archie to be his presenter for the ceremony.
"There are a lot of people that have had a big impact on me. Coaches, Tony Dungy, college coaches, but my dad's had the greatest impact on my football life and my everyday life," Manning said to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the FOX broadcast. "So there's really nobody that's more appropriate than him to welcome me to that stage. Excited about spending these next three days with him in Canton."
It is a packed weekend in Canton as both the 2021 and the 2020 classes will be inducted after COVID forced last year's ceremonies to be canceled. The 2020 class will be presented on Saturday followed by the 2021 class on Sunday night beginning at 5 p.m. Mountain Time on ESPN and NFL Network.
Manning said on Thursday night that he has a large contingent of people traveling to Canton including his biggest rival: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
"Troy, you were talking about what an honor it is for you to present Jimmy Johnson, it's an honor for me to have so many teammates coming back for this ceremony. Coaches, got some old rivals, Tom Brady is coming in sitting in my section. I'm not sure how my Colts teammates will handle that but that means a lot that he's taking the time," Manning said. "Bruce Arians and people that have been a part of my football journey for them to take the time to fly here to Canton, be here for this ceremony, I look forward to celebrating with them."
According to CBSSports.com, Manning will be third in the lineup on Sunday after Drew Pearson and Tom Flores get their inductions and speeches. While this weekend will be a celebration for Manning, he has some work to do this fall, set to broadcast an alternate version of Monday Night Football on ESPN2 with his brother Eli. While details about the broadcast haven't been fully divulged just yet, Manning did give a bit of a preview of what the vibe will be when asked by Aikman and Buck.
"It's kind of like you're watching a game at a bar and me and Eli show up and watch the game with you. We're not going to be in a booth. They said with my forehead and my neck I couldn't fit in a booth Joe, so I can fit on my couch," Manning said laughing. "I can fit on my couch at home and Eli can be on his couch but we're going to watch football. It was just too good of an opportunity, to watch football with your brother, tell stories, talk a little football, I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be a lot of fun."
