NFL Hall of Fame inductee Peyton Manning. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
During his induction speech at the NFL Hall of Fame, Peyton Manning took a lighthearted jab at rival quarterback Tom Brady.
Peyton Manning is a funny guy with great comedic timing, so you’d expect nothing less from his induction speech at the NFL Hall of Fame.
Manning didn’t disappoint with several zingers aimed at former rivals bringing big laughs.
The best of the bunch was a dig at Tom Brady and the length of induction speeches.
“The 2021 induction class wants to thank those previous inductees who gave long-winded acceptance speeches, forcing us to have a whopping six minutes to recap our football careers,” Manning said. “I want to give a special thanks to my old rival Ray Lewis for being here tonight. Ray just finished giving his speech that he started in 2018.
“Next year acceptance speeches will probably shrink to four minutes. And speaking of rivals, my good friend Tom Brady is here tonight. By the time he is inducted in his first year of eligibility in the year 2035, he’ll only have time to post his acceptance speech on his Instagram account.”
Manning hit those jokes just as accurately as he used to sling passes.
Peyton Manning took a fun jab at Tom Brady at the NFL Hall of Fame
The rivalry between Manning and Brady made for some intensely entertaining bouts between the Colts and the Patriots in their day. Brady’s Patriots were 8-4 against Manning’s Colts and 3-2 against Manning’s Broncos.
Manning got the last laugh with a 20-18 victory against Brady in the AFC Championship Game. He went on to win Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos.
The 2015 season was Manning’s final in the NFL. Brady has gone on to play another five seasons and doesn’t seem to be slowing down at the age of 44. Manning may be right about that projected Hall of Fame induction timeline.