Eli Manning cares what you think. He is protective of his image.
The guy who will lead the Giants into tomorrow’s season opener against the Redskins might be the least pretentious franchise quarterback in the league. He barely causes a ripple with his outside life. Consider that the Jets’ Mark Sanchez hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL, yet already has created more off-field buzz than Manning has in six years.
On Tuesday, Manning did a live CBS “Morning Show” segment promoting “Family Huddle,” a children’s picture book he did with big brother Peyton. One million books will be donated to kids in need. Last week, Manning was asked to tape a promo for NFL Play 60, a campaign endorsing youth health and fitness. Manning knew the spot was scheduled to air late this week on NBC’s “Today Show.”
Always willing to give his time for a charitable cause, Manning thought about it and politely declined because he didn’t want to appear on television twice this week — even though the NFL Play 60 spot would have been taped last week. Manning all over the morning shows when he should be gearing up for the Redskins? It was not the image he wanted to portray during a game week — especially opening-game week — which shows how cognizant he is about how he’s perceived.
“I try to pay attention to what’s going on in the same week,” Manning told The Post. “I would have filmed it at a time where I could have possibly done it, but it would have aired on a Thursday or Friday. Sometimes you got to worry about how that is viewed. ‘Hey, he’s doing too much in a week, he’s not worried about the game, he’s doing a TV show, he’s doing this and that,’ so you got to be conscious of what you’re doing and not do too much.
“You have to worry about it, especially in New York. You don’t want people to start talking because when it’s shown, that’s when they assume you’re doing it. I believe in the cause and I’ve done a lot of stuff for it, this one thing I just thought it was bad timing.”
Manning at age 28, married and in the prime of his career, is not going to allow his $106.9 million contract or his first Pro Bowl selection give anyone cause for concern — real or imagined — that he’s shirking his responsibilities. What’s remarkable is that at 22 years old, as a fresh-faced rookie, Manning seemed to understand that just as clearly.
Consider the repercussions if he played poorly in the opener, after he had been seen twice on television in non-football interviews. The criticism wouldn’t have been warranted and easily could have been ignored, but why put himself in a position in which negativity is allowed to fester?
“It’s another distraction that you kind of bring on yourself that you shouldn’t have to worry about,” Manning said. “You have to worry about how you’re seen or what you’re doing. I’m conscious of what my schedule is every week and what’s going on and making sure I’m getting my work done. I know it wouldn’t have affected my work for this week, but how it’s viewed by the public could be different.”
Archie Manning, on the radio this week, said Eli never once discussed the details of the mega-deal that he signed last month, other than to ask his dad if it was possible for the financial details not to hit the papers or for the contract not to be described as the most lucrative in NFL history. He would have preferred to simply sign it and move on.
Eli Manning couldn’t control that news cycle, but, like the huddle he commands, he keeps his life in order.