Peyton Manning is the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdowns, so it goes without saying that he is one of the greatest fantasy football players ever. Like many current and former NFL players, he seems to care very little about that.
Manning was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday night, and he was asked for his thoughts on being a fantasy football legend. He made it clear he prefers fans of “real” football to fans of the other game.
“There’s no doubt that fantasy football is extremely popular, and anything that gets people watching the game is good,” Manning said. “But, sometimes, a fantasy football owner’s and my goals were different. I’d be at an airport and somebody would say, ‘Hey great game yesterday.’ I’m like, ‘Ah we lost so…’ But they’re like, ‘Yeah but you threw five touchdowns.'”
Manning said the same was true of fans who would ask him “what happened last night?” after his team won a game 10-7.
“I like the diehard fans that are gonna watch their team no matter what and aren’t gonna turn the channel if their receiver on fantasy football is not in the game,” Manning added. “I like the diehards.”
It’s no surprise that Manning was a lot more kind to fantasy football players than some of the NFL players we have seen take things to the next level, but his overall message seemed similar. Most NFL players care about themselves and their teammates — not your Yahoo Sports fantasy league.
