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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 24: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots speak after the AFC Championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 24, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 24: Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots speak after the AFC Championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 24, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Peyton Manning has been an icon both on and off the field for years now. Even nearly a decade after his retirement in 2015, he’s a constant presence on television. Plus, you can’t ignore his charitable work, most notably with the Peyback Foundation. So he’s allowed to let loose and have a little fun now and then, right? Especially when he gets to rub shoulders with big names and slag off old rivals. Manning had a chance to do just that a couple of weeks ago, at Neyland Stadium, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Neyland was the site of many of his greatest college football triumphs, back in the 90s. He’s left so much of an impact that one of the streets leading to the stadium is called Peyton Manning Pass. Have fun looking for it on Google Maps. He had the honor of joining country pop sensation Morgan Wallen on a concert walk out just last month. And he didn’t hold back on the effort either. Talking to Kay Adams on Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. He’d studied up on walkouts in advance. “You know me, I had studied some film of the other people that had walked out,” he said, talking about the process. Wallen’s had no shortage of NFL star power on his walkouts before. He described Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ walkouts in Kansas City as “pretty cool,” and then clarified that wasn’t what he was going for. Instead, his brother Eli Manning and legendary quarterback Tom Brady got caught in the crossfire. “My brother Eli, looked very stiff, very awkward. Tom Brady, kinda looked awkward,” he said.
Seeking to avoid both the “cool” and the “awkward,” Manning decided to don his old Tennessee uniform. Well, not that exact uniform, given it’s been nearly 3 decades. In fact, he had to have it made by special order. Apparently, college football jerseys are pretty much all sleeveless these days, and he was going for that classic old look. One that older fans in Wallen’s audience might have remembered from back in the day.
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So there he was, in long sleeves and pads, walking out with one of the biggest names in country pop. Of course, the crowd went ballistic. He was a hit. A true legend showing he remembers where he came from? What’s not to love? Peyton Manning‘s walkout was the first time the number 16 Tennessee Volunteers jersey has been since at Neyland since it was retired in his honor. He did end up taking it off and slipping into a more comfortable cowboy hat and boots right after, though.
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Who else was part of the walk out?
A two man walk out’s not much of a walkout, is it? Though Peyton Manning was the star attraction (after Wallen, of course), there were three other local celebrities there. Josh Heupel, head coach of the Volunteers since 2021, had to be there, of course. The Volunteers had their second-most successful year ever under him in 2022. 20-year-old Nico Iamaleava and 24-year-old Bru McCoy, the quarterback and wide receiver for the Volunteers, joined him.
Can you imagine a better home ground pleaser? Plus, Peyton Manning got a chance to relive his college glory one more time. Just a good day all around. If you’re wondering who Morgan Wallen will be walking out with next, well, his next show is in Charlotte, North Carolina. Do you think there’s a chance he could get Steven Smith Sr. to come join him? Well, there’s plenty of time for speculation.
Written by
Edited by
Cristin Varghese