Eli Manning and Tom Brady postgame chat has fans thinking of third Super Bowl rematch

Eli Manning and Tom Brady are a couple of NFL warhorses who share a pair of epic Super Bowl match-ups on their distinguished resumes. The two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks also seem to possess a mutual respect for each other after the Giants' two dramatic victories.

Once again they met on the field — albeit a more serene environment — after they both sat out Thursday's preseason finale at Gillette Stadium, but it was their little postgame chat which has fans seeing something bigger.

"I didn't tell you this summer, but congrats on last season on the championship," Manning told Brady in the exchange. "It was awesome. It was a great game. Fun to watch. I'm proud of you."

And it was what was said as the two players headed to their respective Giants and Patriots locker rooms that has fans envisioning a third Super Bowl meeting in the future.

"See you down the road, I hope," Brady said.

"See you down the road," Manning replied.

#RESPECT @Bose pic.twitter.com/2yTwdbRlpI

— New York Giants (@Giants) September 1, 2017

The two teams do not meet in the regular season leaving only one option at seeing you down the road — meaning Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. 

Talk is cheap but, whether or not you believe Manning's optimism or Brady's sincerity, a third meeting is quite a possibility for the two contending squads.

See you in February?

Giants To Be Fined For Walkie-Talkie Use Against Cowboys

The New York Giants will be fined for head coach Ben McAdoo's illegal use of walkie-talkies while in communication with Eli Manning for four or five plays during last week's 10-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

An NFL.com report said the league will in fact impose a penalty on the Giants, likely only in the form of a fine, for violating the league's rule governing circumstances when a coach's headset malfunctions. The amount of the fine is still to be determined, though the Giants are not expected to lose any draft compensation over the ordeal.

In only the past two weeks the Giants were involved in almost as much he said/she said espionage as the post-presidential election results — the Giants accused the Steelers of using deflated balls during a loss the week before— and now the G-Men are on the other side of the accusations.

McAdoo was seen on the sidelines last Sunday holding a walkie-talkie as a way to communicate with Manning when the team was having difficulty getting the plays to the quarterback via the traditional helmet headset. It is against NFL rules for coaches to hold any two-way radios during a game.

The Cowboys admitted the infraction had no impact on the game — the drive ended in a Manning interception — and never filed a formal complaint against the Giants.

It could be suggested that the seemingly bothersome investigation is a little more serious than some believe, simply because every NFL team knows it isn't allowed and it could have led to a spygate situation.

The Cowboys just shrugged it off.

"If you're asking me if it affected the outcome of the game, no," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier this week.

Umm...the Russians did it?

So I guess you could say that the new loser’s technological battle cry, “We were hacked” could have applied in this situation.  Only, in this case, the Cowboys took their loss like men.

Eli Manning lookalike arrested for throwing live alligator into Wendy's drive-thru (PHOTO)

A 23-year-old Florida man — with an uncanny resemblance to Eli Manning — landed himself in jail after the dimwitted prankster threw a live alligator into a Wendy's drive-thru window.

Joshua James is accused of assault with a deadly weapon and illegally capturing an alligator after throwing the scaly creature into a Royal Palm Beach Wendy’s fast food joint.

And damn, if he doesn't look like a young Eli.

Florida man charged on assault with deadly weapon after tossing gator in Wendy’s drive-thru https://t.co/womNaAHj2m pic.twitter.com/fDSIgjF9lM

— WPTV (@WPTV) February 8, 2016

The alligator wrangler allegedly picked up the gator off the side of the road before shoving the three and a half foot reptile from the back of his car through the cashier’s window and saying see ya later.

His mother told WPTV that her son is not violent and that the alligator was part of a joke aimed at his friend who works at the Wendy’s.

“He’s a prankster. He does stuff like this because he thinks it’s funny,” she said.

As for Eli, we all know how the former Ole Miss star must feel about Gators, but lucky for Peyton's brother, everyone knew where the stone-faced Giants quarterback was this weekend. And I mean everyone.

Reaction when somebody aced the test you were hoping to get a curve on. https://t.co/uiyMiC0zw8

— Eric Nolan (@heftylefty17) February 9, 2016

The alligator was not injured and released into a nearby canal.

As for Eli, he was only charged with looking dumbfounded ... again.

Eli Manning holds back tears during Tom Coughlin's farewell presser (VIDEO)

Tom Coughlin stepped down as head coach of the New York Giants on Monday, and during his final press conference on Tuesday, the two-time Super Bowl champion let quarterback Eli Manning know that the farewell wasn't his fault.

And that emotional message about bonding and teamwork left Eli holding back tears:

Eli Manning could barely hold back tears during Tom Coughlin's farewell press conference. https://t.co/tLO0G1oFC6 pic.twitter.com/NpMWul18xz

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) January 5, 2016

Manning took responsibility for the team's recent failures but, like a father defending his son, Coughlin made sure his veteran quarterback knew it's about the team — not him.

As the culmination of two Super Bowl titles and 12 years together came to the final gun, it was tough for Manning to see the only NFL coach he has ever known step down.

It was a moment that transcended sports, winning and losing.

So before he hung up his Giants head coach's hat for good, Coughlin delivered a fatherlike message to Manning one last time at the podium:

Eli Manning says he’s been working on touchdown dance routine

Nobody will ever confuse Eli Manning and Cam Newton on the playing field in any way, shape or dab. But, when the two quarterbacks square off this Sunday at MetLife Stadium, don't be surprised if you see Eli bust a move or two.

Asked if he has a dance routine that compares to Newton’s, Manning, in his best deadpan face, said that he has one in the works.

“I haven't polished it up yet,” he said Wednesday. “It’s got more work to do. It’s been in progress for 12 years. It’s still a little rusty. I haven’t fine-tuned it yet. But when it’s ready I’ll break it out. I’ve put in a lot of time in the offseason and Tuesdays doing it, but it doesn’t feel right yet.”

But the rest of the Giants locker room had a hard time imagining Manning performing as elaborate a dance as Newton. And the fact that Eli is no Victor Cruz does gives his teammates some cause for concern.

“If he dabbed, they might flag us for celebrating,” defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. “I don’t even know if he knows what it is.”

“Maybe Odell might teach him. You never know.”

FOX's closed captioning gives Eli Manning a really mean nickname (VIDEO)

Eli Manning has been called a lot of things during his career — everything from Peyton's Little Brother to Easy E, but nobody could have predicted the nickname that a FOX Sports caption writer typed on screen during the Giants' loss to the Redskins on Sunday.

Whoever wrote the closed captioning during the game accidentally (we presume) identified Manning as "Eli man penguin boy."

Fox has given Eli Manning a new nickname https://t.co/f3B2bO9xfH pic.twitter.com/vXuO9U2Evr

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 29, 2015

But after the way Eli waddled his way through the game, this is a name that just might stick.

Rashad Jennings apologizes to Eli Manning for throwing quarterback under the bus: Report

As if the game mismanagement disaster during the New York Giants devastating 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night wasn't enough to stoke the fires of team turmoil, Rashad Jennings added fuel to the controversy by blabbing to the press that he was instructed not to score on two goal-line plays late in the game.

Now, after throwing Eli Manning under the bus, Jennings, who will be providing a season-long, weekly column to The New York Post, addressed the fallout from the game and issued an apology to the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback through the newspaper:

First of all, let me say that I want to apologize from my heart for the negative light that I unintentionally cast my quarterback and friend Eli Manning in. I continue to have the utmost respect for him, and I have complete trust in his leadership. It is a strange and unwelcome feeling I have that after all these years as a professional football player, I finally get to experience the other side of how words can be misconstrued.

I see now how what I said could easily be misunderstood as an expression of resentment. I make no claims to be a perfect communicator. But I also assure that I had no ill will at all in stating what I did. Yet, I admit in retrospect that I should not have shared that information with the world. I chose to do so, and for that choice, I am truly sorry.

Jennings also said in the column he apologized to Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and called Manning once his comments began to make headlines.

"Being the humble guy that he is, he wanted us to put this fiasco behind us with no hard feelings so that we could focus on the Falcons," said Jennings. "That is why I am taking this opportunity to more formalize my apology to Eli, the team and the fans."

Jennings also said: 

As professional competitors, our deep-rooted desire to win is usually our best friend. It can drive us to leave everything out there on the field. But sometimes, if we are not careful, it can consume us enough to lead us, in the heat of a moment, to say things that only our souls should hear.

I hope that those who have come to know me over the years will readily see that this is something that is uncharacteristic of me. I take full ownership of the fact that I didn't handle things as I should have. And for that, again, I truly apologize to my quarterback, to my coach, to my team, and to our fans.

We all just want to win. And I truly believe that I have learned a very valuable lesson about just how delicate a balance we must maintain in keeping ourselves and our team focused on the preeminent goal of winning games.

Eli Manning's arm has never been stronger says Giants QB coach

Eli Manning has pretty much played the same way over the years, but if you ask Mike Sullivan, one thing about the New York Giants quarterback has changed — and it's not those awkward facial expressions.

One thing that’s different, according to the Giants quarterbacks coach is Manning’s arm strength.

“I think his arm is very live,” Sullivan said at Giants practice on Wednesday. “I don’t think his arm has ever been stronger.”

It goes without saying that the 34-year-old Manning is a wiser, if not slower, signal caller than when Sullivan last worked with him in 2011. But physically stronger?

Now reunited with Manning again as his quarterbacks coach after more than three years, Sullivan believes he is.

"He looks like he's got a lot of zip on the football," Sullivan said. "He's worked hard to take care of his body, to work on some of his fundamentals and techniques and try to make sure he's able to do all the things necessary to get everything into his throws."

Manning said in the spring he worked with baseball coaches to develop that improvement.

And with Ben McAdoo's offense lining up with top-flight weapons like Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr., it looks like this could be the year of Air Manning.

Giants are latest NFL team to use drone at training camp

The New York Giants have become the latest NFL team to use a drone to videotape their teams during practice.

The Giants entered the world of high-tech surveillanceWednesday when they used a DJI Phantom 3 drone to videotape a part of the second day of a mandatory veterans minicamp.

Tiny white object above Giants practice is a drone, equipped with camera to take overhead shots of drills. pic.twitter.com/XCyucEGBYq

— Bob Glauber (@BobGlauber) June 17, 2015

The drone hovered at 50 to 60 feet over the grass field next to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center and gave coaches a chance to study plays from a straight overhead angle.

The Giants' football video department practiced using the drone above an unoccupied field for three weeks before doing it Wednesday.

Coach Tom Coughlin deferred comment until he has more detail regarding exactly what the drone will provide, and has had an opportunity to review the video shot from the drone.

Punter Steve Weatherford and placekicker Josh Brown saw the four-bladed drone hovering above and joked about about using it for target practice.

''Josh was saying: 'It's not that high up there,''' Weatherford said. ''And I said: 'Dude, look at the drone and look at the top of our indoor facility. It's higher (indoors).' Obviously I can hit the top of the indoor facility but you have to hit a pretty good ball to hit the drone. Like a really big ball.''

After a split second, Weatherford finished the thought.

''It's definitely doable,'' he said. ''They won't be putting that up there while I am punting.''

While the kickers plotted against the pesky little chopper, most players were oblivious to the white drone. Quarterbacks Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib admitted they didn't even notice it.

Eli Manning avoids discussing 'Entourage' cameo dodge

Eli Manning did not appear in the "Entourage" movie, but is unintentionally giving the HBO series feature film a little free press.

Series creator Doug Ellin claims he was in touch with Manning about having the Giants quarterback appear in a cameo in the movie and, in fact,  said Manning had reached out to him about a part.

But, according to Ellin, Manning backed out without ever telling the director. He just disappeared and stopped returning calls. Ellin, a lifelong Giants fan, had to turn to Tom Brady to fill the gratuitous role.

 And it sounds like the Giants quarterback will not be checking out the movie in theaters either.

“I don’t think I’ll see it,’’ Manning said Monday afternoon after an organized team activity practice. “I’ll pass.’’

Ellin accused Manning of dodging him, saying he could not get in touch with Manning about making it to the set before replacing him with Brady.

“I was going crazy,’’ Ellin said. “Beyond frustrating.’’

Ellin said he eventually heard from Manning’s agent that Manning wanted to focus on football.

“I went kind of crazy,’’ Ellin said, “and I said ‘No, I don’t understand.’ He works hard, I work hard. I didn’t call him. He called me.’’

Clearly, Manning has another side to tell, but he did not want to get into it on Monday.

“I don’t, whatever, I don’t want to give it any more press than there already has been,’’ Manning said. “It doesn’t bother me. Whatever.’’

"Entourage" received mixed reviews and got sacked at the box office. Its first extended weekend $17.8 million gross finished fourth, behind “Spy,’’ “Insidious: Chapter 3’’ and “San Andreas.’’

Now maybe if Ari Gold could get the Giants and Eli to hammer out a new contract...

Giants content letting Eli Manning play out final year of contract: Report

The New York Giants do not seem any closer to working out a contract extension with Eli Manning than they were at the end of last season and appear quite content to let him play out the final year of his deal, according to an ESPN report.

ESPN New York's Dan Graziano reported from the league meetings in Phoenix on Sunday night that the Giants had another conversation with Manning's representatives but that, for now, there is no urgency to sign him to an extension.

Another 2004 NFL draftee, Ben Roethlisberger, recently signed a five year, $99 million extension with the Steelers but the Giants don't seem anxious to match that price.

Via ESPN New York:

According to the sources, the Giants had been keeping a close eye on the contract extension talks between the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had only one year left on his contract before he agreed to a five-year, $99 million deal last week. The Giants believe Manning will ask for more than Roethlisberger got, and at this point they don't appear ready to make that kind of commitment.

Manning will earn $17 million in salary in 2015, and count $19.75 million against the cap, so signing him to an extension would have the immediate benefit of freeing up additional cap space. But as free agency winds down, with few big names remaining on the market, there is less urgency for the Giants to get something done with Manning.

By letting the 34-year-old Manning play out the season and by reviving contract talks next offseason, the Giants get a chance to see if the two-time Super Bowl winner is still in his prime or on a downward slide. Chances are good he will have respectable numbers like last season (63.1 completion percentage and 30 touchdowns against 14 interceptions), especially if young receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz stay healthy.

The laid-back Manning doesn't seem to have any beef about hanging in contract Limbo (at least publicly) and has strongly hinted that he wants to retire in Giants uniform.

The Giants also have the option of using the franchise tag on Manning to keep him in the mix for 2016 while they work out an extension.

Tom Coughlin has 99.9 percent chance of returning to Giants: Report

After 11 seasons, it's beginning to sound like Giants fans may be seeing Tom Coughlin at MetLife Stadium for at least one more. And, despite three consecutive playoff misses, Ol' Redface might get one more chance to get things right.

“99.9 percent he’s back,” a source familiar with the club’s thought process told The  N.Y. Post Sunday night.

Quite remarkable, since the odds of the 67-year-old Coughlin returning were at 50-50 only a few weeks ago.

Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have remained tightlipped on Coughlin's future, which they do after every year, but they have said they plan to meet with the coach after the season.

“I have no comment,” co-owner John Mara said Sunday following the Giants second straight victory — a 24-13 win over the Redskins.

“No comment,” co-owner Steve Tisch added.

This will be the fifth time in six years the Giants have missed the playoffs under Coughlin. Of course, the one year they did quality for the postseason, they won the Super Bowl for the second time during his tenure.

The reasons which have "weighed strongly" on ownership's support of Coughlin include injuries to the Giants this season, Coughlin's ability to remain respected in the locker room, the benefit of keeping offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo for another season.

And don't forget the stability he provides to quarterback Eli Manning — the only head coach he has ever played for.

Loyalty carries a lot of heft in the Giants' philosophy of making decisions but, those two Super Bowl rings sure carry a lot of weight too.

Tom Coughlin 'hopes' Eli Manning's back injury isn't serious: Report

So there was a good reason Giants quarterback Eli Manning hung out in the trainer's room longer than usual after Sunday's victory over the Titans after all.

Manning was listed on the Wednesday's pre-practice injury report with a back injury. But the Giants starter said he was fine after the rout of the Titans.

"Wear and tear of the NFL," Manning said afterwards. "Just getting iced down on things. Nothing serious."

The Giants don't believe Manning's back injury is anything that should keep him from making his 165th consecutive start on Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the Washington Redskins but aren't taking any risks.

So Manning, who was listed on the pre-practice injury report,  will officially be designated as a limited participant in practice, according to coach Tom Coughlin.

Still, there doesn't seem to be an alarming sense of concern that the injury is serious.

"I hope not," Coughlin said. "We'll list him as limited because of what you all recognized the other day. He was in the training room. He'll practice like he always practices, unless I hear different from him."

Coughlin didn't know exactly when Manning suffered the injury. He was hit hard when delivering a pass in the second half and got up slowly. Manning, who wasn't sacked for just the second time this season, took all but two snaps, which went to backup Ryan Nassib when some starters were pulled for game-ending kneeldowns.

"I don't know what it was. It's [a] back [injury]," Coughlin said. "He functions well. For reasons, whatever, he's on the list."

Eli Manning (back) was, indeed, practicing today ... pic.twitter.com/GZlwTQ18K7
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) December 10, 2014

Manning went through his usual Tuesday routine at the Giants training facility so Coughlin didn't seem to think there was anything that would him from starting on Sunday. He even joked about the weightlifting that Manning usually does on Tuesdays.

"He squatted 450," Coughlin said. "He benched 375."

He was kidding. Remember?

Watch Odell Beckham Jr. spin a football and kick it for 31-yard FG (VIDEO)

Just a few days after Beckham’s one-handed catch broke the Internet, the Giants’ rookie wide receiver put on an incredible display of some other skills at Friday’s practice.

After joining quarterbacks Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib in a fun game of throwing the ball into a netted bag, Beckham spun a ball while standing, then kicked the spinning ball for a 31-yard field goal.

It took two attempts but when was the last time you saw something like that?

Here's the video proof, courtesy of NJ.com:

We know Beckham can catch. But who knew the kid could be used as a backup QB and kicker too.

Here is video of Odell Beckham's latest trick: spin the ball, kick 31-yard field goal #giants http://t.co/7kajtmKFVh pic.twitter.com/oInr4XhBly
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) November 29, 2014

Beckham Jr.'s 'Fingertip' catch can't top Tyree's 'Helmet' catch

While Odell Beckham Jr.'s  one-handed, super-stretch touchdown grab against the rival Cowboys on Sunday night was a remarkable feat, it started a debate Giants fans will be having over at the office cooler for days to come.

Was it the greatest catch in NFL history, as it's being called, or even in the Giants own glorious past?

For the argument, one only has to look back at David Tyree's "helmet catch" against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII to draw a comparison.

Beckham's three-fingered grab may well be — athletically — the best NFL catch ever, but what did it accomplish?

Nothing, if you know it was meaningless regular season game that the Giants — realistically out of playoff contention — ended up losing and were basically playing for pride against a division rival.

Considering the scenario surrounding Tyree's "helmet catch," which was almost Shakespearean, the desperation third-down catch helped put the kibosh on the undefeated Patriots' season and help the unheralded Giants win Super Bowl XLII with 59 seconds on the clock.

Eli Manning — who deserves a little credit on the play too — would go on to hit Plaxico Burress for the winning TD four plays later in what has been called the best Super Bowl game ever.



So while the only thing each catch has in common is the quarterback Manning, the overall edge definitely goes to Tyree.

But it's still too early to even call the rookie Beckham's catch the finest of his career. He still has a long way to go.

Close-up of Odell Beckham Jr.'s unbelievable catch makes it even more incredible (PHOTO)

If you didn't see Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. make what is being called one of the greatest catches of all time on dozens of replays Sunday night, you're sure to see it all over ESPN along with the tweets and numerous memes making the rounds on the Internet Monday morning.

Some might say that the only thing that could have possibly made the rookie's acrobatic, one-handed grab of Eli Manning's wayward throw any better would be if The Odell  — as the catch is being called — helped lead to a Giants win.

Not true. When you look at a close-up of Beckham's hand on the play, it reveals something else to be marveled at.

Behold... The Odell. pic.twitter.com/chV7An8BPi
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) November 24, 2014

That's correct. Not only did Beckham make a one-handed catch while falling backwards with a defender in the way, but he snagged the football with only three fingers.

Worried Giants players briefed on Ebola breakout before trip to Dallas: Report

The Ebola outbreak is big news in Dallas, and before the New York Giants head to that city this weekend for their key NFC East matchup with the Cowboys, the team was briefed about the deadly disease after some players expressed concern about making the trip.

Giants senior vice president of communications Pat Hanlon confirmed that players and staff received an electronic briefing Wednesday morning which gave them background on the virus that has killed one man in Dallas and has infected two healthcare workers in the city. The title of the document: "Ebola: Basic Facts to Answer Common Questions."

"Our athletic trainers and team physicians have been briefed on the scope of the Ebola virus disease," Hanlon said. "We have distributed a fact sheet to our employees and distributed similar information to our players electronically this morning."

Giants center J.D. Walton, a native of Allen, Texas, about 40 minutes north of Dallas, has a large contingent of family and friends expected to attend Sunday's game at A&T Stadium. His wife and 1-year-old child might not make the trip. They may stay back in New Jersey because of the Ebola scare.

"I'm not even sure if I'm going home next week during the bye," Walton said.

Walton is not alone in his thinking after Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital — where an Ebola patient died and two nurses became infected — has apologized for mistakes made when they admittedly mishandled the case of Thomas Eric Duncan, the Ebola patient who was originally sent home even after he had a fever and said he was from Liberia.

"I think guys might think twice if they were planning to bring their wives or their families with them on a trip like this, because why take a chance?" cornerback Prince Amukamara told ESPN.com. "But I think the team is doing a good job making sure we have all of the information we need."

The team is scheduled to leave on Saturday and return late Sunday night.

Quarterback Eli Manning made it sound like any other road trip.

"No, I don't worry about myself or the team," he said. "I think what we're doing, where we're staying, I think we'll be OK."

The Cowboys coach, Jason Garrett, isn't all that concerned with the Ebola outbreak in the Dallas area either.

"Really haven't [addressed it with the team], to be honest with you," Garrett told reporters during a conference call on Wednesday. "I don't think it's directly affected us, so it has not been something we addressed directly with our players."

Victor Cruz's screams told Giants, Eagles players his injury was serious (VIDEO)

It didn't take a doctor's report to tell Giants and Eagles players on the field what occurred in the third quarter of Sunday night’s game. It came from a sound that was something that Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin admitted he won’t ever forget. 

They were the screams that came from Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz after he wrecked his knee on a freak play.

Cruz ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee when he jumped for a fourth-down pass in the corner of the end zone. And the players immediately knew it was serious when he came down clutching the twisted joint.

“He was screaming, like really screaming, not like ‘ahhh.’ But screaming at the top of his lungs,” Boykin said. “When you do hear a professional NFL player scream like that, you know it’s a serious injury.”

It was so bad that Giants quarterback Eli Manning couldn’t even offer words of encouragement to his friend. In this situation, it wouldn’t have helped. Manning had to just watch as the sobbing Cruz was carted off the field.

“It was tough to say anything to him,” he said. “I went there and patted him on the shoulder, but he was in some pain and it wasn’t a great opportunity. Anything I would have said, he wouldn’t have heard me.”

Cruz’s season is over. Knee injuries are nothing new to the Giants star — but patella tendon injuries can ruin careers.

Giants fans can now only wish for Cruz's successful recovery and hope to see his salsa dances once again.

Victor Cruz does first TD salsa dance in 12 games (VIDEO)

Victor Cruz caught a touchdown pass at home for the first time since 2012 against the Texans Sunday.

The Giants wideout also had his streak of 12 straight games without a TD salsa dance broken after this 26-yard catch-and-run from Eli Manning.

Check out the nifty little move he added after the catch:

Victor Cruz first TD in 12 games #FantasyFootball https://t.co/ko0kcUy6Y9
— AnJuan Boldin (@JuanElway) September 21, 2014

Eli Manning speaks out on child abuse and domestic violence: Report

After no less than five NFL players have been hit with separate instances of domestic violence or child abuse charges in the past week,  Eli Manning became one of the first high-profile players to speak out publicly against the rash of abuse off the field that is wracking the league.

The Giants quarterback mixed his disdain for the incidents with a plea for his fellow NFL players to put an end to domestic violence for the good of children like Adrian Peterson’s beaten son and the league as a whole.

“You hate to see a child being hurt. . . . You don’t like seeing those things or hearing about ’em,” Manning said to reporters Wednesday.

“Try to go home and hug your own children. It makes you want to hopefully not put them in harm’s way,” said Manning.

The two-time Super Bowl champion — who has two small girls, ages 1 and 3, with his wife, Abby — didn't try to lay blame on anyone specific but said it's up to the players to repair the damage that the domestic violence and child abuse issues that have turned the the NFL and league commissioner Roger Goodell into media punching bags.

“Obviously those are serious issues. … We can’t accept that as players, we can’t accept that from our teammates and around the league,” Manning said. “The message is out that you can’t mess with domestic violence, and everybody should know that. Hopefully, things get cleared up and cleaned up and guys can learn from this, and we don’t make these mistakes, and the NFL can learn from this, and we can go on and start getting back to football. Our team hasn’t been having to deal with that issue personally, but when it’s on TV every day obviously you’re aware of it.

“And we don’t like when the NFL gets a black eye on anything.”