Peyton Manning wants Tom Brady to give retirement gifts back originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Tom Brady received a massive outpouring of congratulatory messages and tributes when he announced his retirement from the NFL in February. The legendary quarterback seemingly left the door open to play in 2022, but that doesn’t make his change of heart any less awkward.
Brady announced earlier this month he will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 23rd NFL season. That news was celebrated by some, but others aren’t too thrilled with the ex-New England Patriots signal-caller coming out of retirement after only 39 days.
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His longtime rival, Peyton Manning, revealed he sent Brady a two-page handwritten letter along with a bottle of wine as retirement gifts. Now that the 44-year-old has changed his mind, Manning wants Brady to send those gifts back to him.
“I want the letter back,” Manning said Saturday during an event hosted by The MINT Collective. “You got to read all these nice things, I want it back. I want the bottle of wine back, too.”
The historic Manning-Brady rivalry remains alive and well off the gridiron.
Though Manning appears to be joking about wanting Brady to return those generous gifts, he makes a valid point. What does he do when Brady announces his retirement for a second time? Should the seven-time Super Bowl champion get another round of heartfelt farewells?
It could be a while before we get an answer to that question. As he enters his age 45 season, Brady is very much still at the top of his game.