NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, renowned for his tenure with the Tennessee Vols and nearly two decades in the NFL, traveled to Massachusetts on Wednesday for Tom Brady’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Manning and Brady faced off 17 times between 2001 and 2015, creating one of the most legendary quarterback rivalries in NFL history (Brady leads the series with an 11-5 record against Manning).
During Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony, Manning took the stage and recounted a story about a secret offseason workout they shared in Tennessee at the peak of their careers.
“In 2009, at the height of our careers – Tom coming off an MVP season, I coming off an MVP season – we got together in a small town in Tennessee,” Manning revealed. “I said to Tom, ‘Let’s keep this really low-key, don’t tell anyone we’re coming.’ Tom arrives in Mr. Kraft’s big, huge plane. I’m like, ‘That’s not what I meant by low-key. Also, that’s against the salary cap, by the way…but we won’t get into that.'”
“We played golf, lifted weights, and threw routes with high school receivers. We even took their phones away and threatened them, saying, ‘If you tell anyone that Tom Brady and I are working out together and that we’re friends, we’re going to kill all of you,'” Manning humorously added. “But it was fascinating to witness his work ethic. We were pushing each other to improve. It was a remarkable two days for me.”
Now that Manning has shared this story publicly, the high school wide receivers who participated in that workout, likely now in their late twenties to early thirties, can surely recount their memorable experiences from that unique day.
