Monday was a day of celebration and reflection for Peyton Manning, but he didn’t quite make it through without having to address an ugly part of his pass.
The former Denver Broncos quarterback announced his retirement from the NFL in a press conference at the team’s facility in Englewood, Colo. After delivering an emotional speech, Manning accepted questions, and USA TODAY Sports’ Lindsay Jones asked the 39-year-old about “things that happened 20 years ago.” That’s a direct reference to sexual assault allegations made against Manning for an incident that happened while he was at the University of Tennessee.
Here’s how Manning responded:
“I think it is sad that some people don’t understand the truth and the facts,” Manning said. “I did not do what has been alleged, and I am not interested in re-litigating something that happened when I was 19 years old.”
Manning ended his response with a movie quote: “Like Forrest Gump said, ‘That’s all I have to say about that.’ ”
Manning wasn’t charged with any crimes at the time of the incident, and University of New Hampshire law professor Michael McCann recently said he doesn’t believe the 14-time Pro Bowl quarterback will face any ramifications.
Monday marked the first time Manning publicly addressed the allegations, but ESPN apparently had some unfortunately timed technical difficulties as he delivered his response.
A few rumors recently surfaced that the network’s employees initially were told not to report on the Manning sexual assault story, but those rumors quickly were discredited. ESPN’s feed was down for about two seconds before the connection was restored.
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
