Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning delivered some passes to go along with his speech during the University of Virginia’s 2014 valedictory exercises.
Manning, whose wife Ashley attended UVA, was asked to the speak at the event in which seniors present class gifts and awards are handed out because “his sports career and off-the-field commitments are consistent examples of leadership, excellence and generosity,” Sarah Salinas, the committee’s chairwoman, said in a release.
The University of Tennessee product dished out advice to the graduating seniors, but in the middle of his 20-minute speech, he took some time out to throw the pigskin around to three lucky grads.
“One regret I have is that I never had a chance to throw any football passes here on this lawn. So if you will indulge me, I’m going to fulfill that dream right now. I’m going to challenge three graduating seniors to catch a pass.
“If you’re nervous, I understand,” Manning said before tossing his first pass. “Seriously, there is no pressure here at all. If you drop it, it will not be on YouTube, I promise,” he said.
Fortunately not a single student dropped a pass, because going viral for not catching a toss from one of the best NFL quarterbacks would not be the best way to enter the real world.
Check out Manning’s speech in its entirety in the video below.
