Peyton Manning will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday, and Tom Brady — his good friend and longtime NFL rival — plans to attend the ceremony in Canton, Ohio.
This might come as a surprise to some football fans, especially with Brady preparing for his second season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Bucs quarterback has a good reason for the trip.
“I just need to make sure he’s really done. Can’t risk this guy coming back… ,” Brady joked in a tweet Friday.
Brady and Manning, of course, had some legendary battles back when the former was with the New England Patriots and the latter was the starting QB for the Indianapolis Colts then the Denver Broncos. It’s safe to say Manning, who won two Super Bowl titles (one with Indianapolis and one with Denver), prevented Brady, now a seven-time champion, from adding even more jewelry to his collection. And vice versa.
That said, the NFL icons developed a strong bond off the field, to the point where Brady apparently will be sitting in Manning’s section this Sunday as the Hall of Fame welcomes its 2021 class.
“I’m not sure how my Colts teammates will handle that, but that means a lot that he’s taking the time,” Manning said Thursday night during FOX’s broadcast of the Hall of Fame preseason game featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.
We can’t imagine Manning, who retired after the 2015 season, will shock the world and mount an NFL comeback at age 45. But Brady, who turned 44 on Tuesday, clearly isn’t taking any chances.
