Famous is normal for Eli Manning, who has a famous father (Archie) and a famous older brother (Peyton) and is famous himself. It was so normal for Eli that while growing up, he figured everyone was famous.
“People ask me, was it weird having a father who played in the NFL,’’ Eli said Tuesday in an interview with FOX 5 sports anchor Duke Castiglione at Dunkin’ Donuts “Way to Pay’’ event at the Meadowlands. “That was the norm. I grew up, people asked my dad for autographs. I thought that’s just kind of what he did. I went to my friend’s house, I asked my friend’s dad for an autograph. I thought that was just kind of the thing to do.”
Even Eli’s toddler daughter, Ava, understands her father is famous, and not only because he is the quarterback of the Giants. Eli Manning appears in billboards at Dunkin’ Donuts locations, including one in Hoboken, N.J. where Eli and his family live.
“It was kind of funny with my wife the other day, she had my daughter,’’ Eli said. “So, they ran into a Dunkin’ Donuts, they were waiting in line… kind of crowded, about 8 in the morning … and all of a sudden, my daughter, she looks up and sees [the Eli Manning billboard]. She starts going ‘Daddy, daddy, daddy!’ pointing at it and my wife’s kind of like ‘Hey, shh,… be quiet, be quiet,’ and so she was very confused as to why there was a cardboard cutout of me in Dunkin’ Donuts.”