Online Encyclopedia
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise.
Peyton Manning is the son of New Orleans Saints quarterback, Archie Manning and the older brother of New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning. Peyton played college football for the University of Tennessee, where he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.
Peyton Manning was the 2003 NFL co-MVP according to the Associated Press. He shared the honor with Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair. After many football insiders criticized Manning for being 0-3 in the playoffs, he won his first NFL playoff game against the Denver Broncos on January 4, 2004. Manning's Passer Rating in the Colts' playoff games against the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs was a perfect 158.3. However, he had a difficult AFC championship game against the New England Patriots, throwing four interceptions in a 24-14 loss.
A former female trainer at the University of Tennessee filed a defamation lawsuit against Peyton Manning in 1999 for a 1996 encounter during which Manning, at the time a quarterback at Tennessee, dropped his pants in front of the trainer. The lawsuit was later resolved in December 2003.
In 2004, Manning became the highest-paid player in NFL history, signing a US $99.2m contract for seven years with a $34.5m signing bonus, which averages out to $14.17m annually. Under the contract, Manning is also eligible to earn an extra $19m in incentives.