Peyton Manning Blasts Tom Brady During 2021 Hall of Fame Speech

Peyton Manning decided to have some fun with Tom Brady during his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech. The former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback spoke to the crowd in Canton on Sunday as he was enshrined with the greatest players in NFL history. And during Manning’s speech, he indicated that Brady will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in another 14 years since he continues to keep playing football despite him and Manning being around the same age.

“Next year, acceptance speeches will probably shrink to four minutes,” Manning said per CBS Sports. “And speaking of rivals, my good friend Tom Brady is here tonight, and 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.”

When it comes to the Manning and Brady rivalry, it was one of the most exciting battles to watch. Brady won more games against Manning, but when it comes to AFC Championship games, Manning beat Brady three times in four matchups. Manning left the game with two Super Bowl wins, five MVP awards and over 70,000 passing yards.

Along with making fun of Brady, Manning also talked about life after football, coaching the game and spending time with his son. “After my playing career, I hung a whistle around my neck and I’ve coached my son’s flag football team for the past two years,” Manning revealed. “Now I’m not sure I’m a very good coach, but hopefully that role will enable me to make a hands-on contribution to the future of our sport. Over the years, I’ve had the most unbelievable support from family, friends, fans, coaches, teammates and support staffs, and I just can’t say thank you enough to all of you that have come here tonight to help me celebrate.”

Manning also talked about how football needs to keep growing. “We have inherited the history of this sport, even helped create it, but our responsibility cannot stop there,” Manning said. “If we simply relive history and don’t ignite the future of the sport, then we’re not doing football justice. Each of us has deep roots in this game. Football even helped us carve out a place to belong.”