Eli Manning’s absence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame was overshadowed by Bill Belichick’s snub, but the former New York Giants quarterback once again failed to get elected on his second try.
Manning appeared on the “Gruden Goes Long” podcast and addressed his omission from the Hall of Fame. The two-time Super Bowl champion made it clear that he is not losing sleep over his omission, and that he did not play the game for that sort of recognition.
“It doesn’t keep me up at night. I’m not going to be bitter at it. I’m not bitter at the game of football,” Manning said. “I loved my teammates, I love the relationships, the friendships, the championships, the parades. When I think about football, I think about touchdowns, and my buddies, and wins, and plane rides home. I don’t think about the interceptions. I don’t think about the bad stuff. If I ever get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I’ll take it as a positive and I’m not going to think about the years I had to wait to get in.”
This is similar to Manning’s reaction last year, when he preferred to praise those who were enshrined rather than discussing his own omission. The former Giants quarterback genuinely seems relaxed about the whole thing, and is not sweating it.
Manning will likely get elected someday. He has 57,023 career passing yards and two Super Bowl titles, and his reputation speaks for itself. He is not sweating when it happens.
