It’s been six years sincePeyton Manningretired from the NFL, but the former quarterback still has a starring role during thebig game on Sunday.
Manning is appearingalongside actor Steve Buscemi and a crew of professional athletes — including tennis starSerena Williams, soccer player Alex Morgan, NBA player Jimmy Butler, WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike and golf pro Brooks Koepka — in one of Michelob Ultra’s three Super Bowl commercials, which will air during theNBC broadcast on Feb. 13.
“I think everybody will get a kick out seeing all these different athletes — both male and female athletes — hanging out with some beers, bowling for some friendly competition,” Manning tells PEOPLE exclusively about the ads set at Michelob Ultra’s Superior Bowl, a vintage, fantasy bowling alley where some of the biggest names in sports gather to hit the lanes.
“Even though I’m not playing, [I] still feel like I’m actually a part of the Super Bowl,” adds Manning, who says the commercials are a good reminder “to enjoy the journey and not just the destination” — something he hopes boththe Cincinnati Bengals and L.A. Ramsplayers are taking to heart this week, as excitement and anticipation builds for their matchupat SoFi Stadium in L.A.on Sunday.
Michelob Ultra
“I think about [quarterbacks]Joe BurrowandMatthew Stafford, and I hope they’re taking the time to soak it in. I hope they’re not, like, ‘Hey, let’s get to the moment and fast forward through this,'” says the five-time NFL MVP, who won championships with both the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 andDenver Broncos in 2016. “Come Super Bowl time, I think about those moments of joy that I experienced when I was playing and I hope they are getting them too, knowing they’re about to play in this game.”
Peyton and Eli Manning in 2013.Jim McIsaac/Getty
“Eli and I watched a lot footballgrowing up along with my family, so basically that’s what we’re doing. We’re sitting on the couch watching the game and the viewers get to sit down and watch with us,” says Manning, who broadcast from a studio near his home in Denver while Eli filmed from his house in New Jersey. “And if something really cool happens, we get to talk about some football. And if nothing really exciting is happening, we get to talk to Phil Mickelson, Snoop Dogg, Condoleezza Rice, Sue Bird or Charles Barkley about how much they love football.”
Manning continues: “I loved playing football, and I would have played for free. People don’t believe that, and I probably wouldn’t have told the owners that but I would have because I loved it so much. I think people who really have a passion for what they do would do the same. And so, in this second chapter and with the different projects I’m involved in, I work hard but it’s only worth it if I enjoy it—which I am.”
Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; COURTESY OF NETFLIX
One of those fun recent projects wasa surprise appearanceonSaturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” segment, where Manning raved to co-host Colin Jost about his strong affection forEmily inParisand joked that the silver lining ofthe then-rumored retirementforTom Bradycould be “more time” to binge the Netflix hit series.
While Manning says he enjoyed the wholeSNLexperience and watching the clip go viral after airing, the father of 10-year-old twins, son Marshall and daughter Moseley, also had another reason for doing the segment. “I took my sonto the Packers-49ers game. You know, Lambeau Field, in the snow, in the elements — it was an awesome experience. And when we came back home, I could tell my daughter was feeling like she missed out. So I was looking for something to even the playing field, if you will,” he says.
“I had been talking toSaturday Night Liveon-and-off about doing something and they said, ‘Would you consider coming in and maybe doing a Weekend Update one weekend?’ I called them and said, ‘Hey, how about this Saturday?’ So I brought my daughter with me, and we got to go behind-the-scenes and watch the rehearsals,” he says. “It was a really fun trip.”
The former quarterback, whoshowed off his sharp comedic skillswhen he hostedSNLafter his first Super Bowl win in 2007, says he told producers he was up for anything and let the writers take the reins. “I didn’t really know what the idea was going to be until Friday and they sent me this concept. And they said, ‘What about you doing a skit about watchingEmily in Paris?’ And I said, ‘Let’s go for it, let’s do it!’ It was fun to do.”
And, yes, Manning sent that videoto his good friend Tom Brady.
“I talked [to Tom] firstwhen the unofficial newscame out. I sent him a text saying, A, I hope you’re on a beach somewhere on another planet right now. And B, I thought you could use a little humor so I sent him a link to theSaturday Night Liveskit. I said, ‘Maybe you ought to watchEmily in Parisduring this time.’ He texted me back with a big smile and said he wishes he were somewhere else too,” Manning said with a laugh.
Tom Brady/Instagram
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Last week, after a firestorm of reports and rumors, Bradyannouncedvia Instagram that he was retiring from the NFL after 22 seasons.
“Obviously oncehe officially announced, I texted him saying that a text just doesn’t do this justice. So I wrote him a hand-written letter,” says Manning. “That’s something I’ve always believed in. A text for a 22-year career likeTom Brady’s just doesn’t quite do it justice. So it was a chance to just sit down and put pen to paper and talk about some of the different things he and I have experienced together—on the field and off the field—and just congratulate him for doing it the right way, doing it at the highest level, and doing it for such a long time. It’s simply awesome.”
“You know, my greatest takeaway from my years of playing were the relationships I made, and the friendships with my teammates and coaches and even competitors, like Tom. He and I have a great friendship and I’m honored to have that.”
source: people.com
