Peyton Manning is one of the greatest players to ever touch a football, and Super Bowl 50 could be the final game of his career.
Excuse his opponents for not caring.
On Wednesday, a few Carolina Panthers players were asked if they feel like the country is rooting for Manning because of the circumstances. Running back Mike Tolbert, for one, does not care.
“We don’t really care if this is his last game,” Tolbert told Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. “He’s played what – 18, 19 years? He’s had enough, you know what I’m saying? It’s our turn.”
When asked if he would feel guilty if he intercepted the last pass of Manning’s career, safety Tre Boston was even more animated.
“So if a man has the last piece of pizza in the world, are you going to take that last piece?” Boston replied. “One of y’all got to live! One of us has to win, and I’m not trying to lose. It’s you and that one man. You gonna live or not? I’m trying to win. I don’t care who you are.”
After the AFC Championship Game, Manning hinted to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick that he could be retiring after the Super Bowl. You can see a video of the exchange between the two here. Peyton’s brother Eli Manning later fueled the speculation that Manning will not be playing in 2016.
Manning is one of the most likable figures in sports history, and no one seems to care that a legitimate news outlet has linked him to HGH. The Panthers are probably happy about that, as they have become experts at using the “us against the world” mentality to their advantage. The more we hear about Peyton Manning, the better the Panthers will feel.
