When Eli Manning retired, he famously declared, “Once a Giant, Always a Giant.” For him, it’s “Only a Giant.” Spending his entire 16-year career in New York, Manning naturally viewed the Dallas Cowboys as his ultimate arch-enemies because of their fierce NFC East rivalry. Today, that franchise loyalty runs deep in his household. His son, Charles Elisha Manning, has spent three years playing NFL Flag Football exclusively in a Giants jersey. But in youth leagues, team colours can be unpredictable. What if his son one day decides to pick up a Cowboys uniform?

The 2x Super Bowl champ has already ensured that the nightmare scenario will never happen.
The conversation came on Youth.Inc, where Manning and Greg Olsen discussed Brand Velocity Group’s (Manning’s private equity firm) acquisition of RCX Sports, the operator behind NFL Flag football leagues nationwide. RCX handles uniforms, referees, and field logistics for local leagues. They also give the kids Pro-League Uniform Kits that contain club-branded jerseys that the leagues can choose for themselves. When Olsen asked what happens if Manning’s youngest son ends up in a Cowboys uniform, Manning shut it down immediately.

“We kind of got that worked out,” Manning said. “I have a little pull, even more pull now. But in the local area, they do see Manning. They’re not going to put him in an Eagles uniform. So, he’s been doing this for three years. He’s been on the Giants every year.”

“You need resources to help these dad coaches, especially flag football. It’s kind of a new sport for a lot of dads,” Manning added. “They might have played tackle football or played football in high school, but now, this is a little different, and they’re six years old, and what are the plays and what can a six-year-old do versus what can a 10-year-old do, and just ideas, concepts to enhance the experience of all these kids, whether it’s some suggestions or videos to watch on plays.

“So through the platform, just to make sure everything is enhanced and you have all your resources… It’s great for the parents and great for the kids.”

At just 8 years old, Charles “Charlie” Manning is Eli’s youngest child and only son. While gridiron destiny seemed written in the stars from the day he was born, specifically on February 3rd, 2019, right as the Patriots and Rams kicked off for Super Bowl LIII, carrying the most famous last name in football comes with a lot more pressure. To help ease that burden, Eli is actively involved in Charlie’s youth flag football league, carefully balancing his status as an NFL legend with the everyday realities of being a dad coach. 

Despite the heavy weight of the family’s quarterback legacy, Eli insists there is “no pressure at all” for Charlie to enter the family business or become a star athlete. He just wants his son to have fun, with one strict exception. Charlie cannot, under any circumstances, be assigned to an NFC East rival like the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, or Washington Commanders. In fact, Eli Jokingly made his boundary clear, hinting that if he ever saw his kid in a rival’s jersey, he would simply walk away.

His legacy makes the NFC East a family brand. His son wearing a rival’s colors isn’t just unlikely; it undermines the identity Manning built over 16 seasons. But this doesn’t mean he took all the decisions for his children. Along with Charlie, Manning is dad to daughters Ava, 13, Lucy, 11, and Caroline, 9, with wife Abby McGrew. His three daughters are also into sports…more precisely, they are into different sports. 

“They’re all playing a bunch of sports, but just sports that I know nothing about,” he says with a laugh. 

Beyond the flag football field, Charlie laces up for basketball, baseball, and hockey. His sisters are just as active: Eli’s oldest daughter, Ava, divides her time between lacrosse and swimming; his middle daughter, Lucy, balances tennis with lacrosse; and his youngest daughter, Caroline, takes to the ice for hockey. While he allows his kids to pick any sport they want, his core rule is that they must finish the season.

It is exactly this multi-sport enthusiasm that makes Manning’s latest business venture such a perfect fit. As for RCX Sports itself, since they took over NFL Flag in 2019, participation has jumped from roughly 200,000 kids to more than a million today. RCX works with the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB to keep entry prices down, making everything more accessible, and offering the same standardized experience to all the kids nationwide.