Eli Manning’s storied NFL career ended in 2019, but he’s still one of the most visible members — past or present — of the New York Giants. He and former teammate Sean O’Hara host the “Eli Manning Show,” which is returning for a third season.
Manning joined Front Office Sports Today to talk about the show, the “Manningcast,” seeing a different side of the team, and his favorite play from a regular-season game.
Listen to the full episode above.
On the guests he has on the “Eli Manning Show”: It’s been fun for me to learn how sports have impacted people’s lives and how passionate people are about sports. Obviously, I’ve done a lot of people in the New York area, so it’s the Giants, but it might be the Knicks. It might be someone else that’s just a fan of sports, and they’ve made their career in some other field. A lot of it comes back to their childhood and being around a certain team or an organization and the role that it’s played in their life.
On his relationship with co-host Sean O’Hara:
He was my center. The center-quarterback [relationship] is a pretty special bond. There’s a closeness you don’t really have with some of your other players. He’s still one of my best friends in the world. We hang out with our families and go on trips. We have that closeness where we can get on each other, we can make fun of each other, and we’re not gonna be sensitive afterwards — even though we’re making fun of each other for a live show that millions of people might see.
That attitude keeps things very loose. Once we start making fun of each other, I think the guest is like, oh, I can make fun of y’all, too. We want everybody to look good. We’re not trying to call people out. We want this to be fun. We want for them to share their story, have some laughs and make it a unique experience.
On the different guests he’s had: They gave me a little script of questions with Bill Murray. I’m like, “I don’t need it. I’m a fan of Bill Murray. I got this. I have my questions that I already have been thinking about for 15 years of things I would ask Bill Murray.” And then the next one I’m with Fivio Foreign, and I’m like, “Yeah, I need all the information possible. I’m not up on my hardcore rap scene right now, so I need a little intel.”
But both of those are exciting, and it’s a little bit out of my comfort zone being the guy asking the questions, where my whole life, I was the one being asked the questions.
On seeing a different side of the NY Giants: When you’re a player, you’re so focused with the coaches. And now you see this whole other world of the production and everybody doing sponsorships and the different relationships and impacts on different companies that the Giants are associated with and how it all works.
So it’s been fun to meet all those new people, a new side of the business, and to form relationships on this side. I had so many great friendships with people in the film department, in the training room, in the equipment room, and then now I come to this other side of the building and a lot of people who are a little bit more behind the scenes. Now you get to work with them and kind of listen to how their mind works and different ideas that we can do with the show.
On his relationship with his brother: Peyton and I are competitive about things that you wouldn’t think we would be competitive about. On the field and in sports, we’re super-competitive with each other. But he’s five years older than me, so we never competed against each other in sports. We were never on the same team. We didn’t play high school together. We played against each other three times in the NFL, and that was it. I destroyed him in the Pro Bowl this year as a coach.
Favorite movie: Caddyshack
Artist or band you’re always happy to listen to: Luke Combs
Place you have never been to but would like to go to: Africa, maybe Zimbabwe.
Sport you would’ve played if not football: I can’t jump. I’m too slow. I don’t hit very well. I’m not a great bowler. So probably badminton.
Favorite NFL play, not from a Super Bowl: Hitting Amari Toomer 2005 versus Denver, kind of a walk-off touchdown. There was a lot going on with the organization — [it was late Giants’ co-owner] Wellington Mara’s final game that he was able to be alive for and watch. It was a really special moment.
