Lil Wayne tells story of Eli, Peyton Manning practicing at 4 AM

Feb. 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA: (Editors note: Image converted to black and white) Recording artist Lil Wayne performs during the GQ Party at the Elms Mansion leading up to Super Bowl XLVII. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

I’m not sure that getting your sports news from Lil’ Wayne is something you expected today, but the rapper recently sat down with MMQB and offered up some opinions on the NFL season.

Also lost in the shuffle was an odd story that involved an ‘uncle-like’ figure to Wayne, who says he used to see Eli, Cooper and Peyton Manning practicing with their father Archie during the wee hours of the morning.

"“I have a story about Peyton. A guy who has been on the road with us, he was like an uncle to us, he told us this story. When he was in jail, about to come home, he was put on one of those work-release things in New Orleans. Every morning, real early, he would clean the schoolyard of the [Isidore] Newman School [where the Manning kids attended]. Because he was a prisoner, he would have to clean the schoolyard at 4 or 5 in the morning. There was not one morning, 4:30, 5 in the morning, he wouldn’t see Archie, Peyton, Cooper, or Eli Manning out on the field."

While that’s some pretty absurd commitment – especially from Peyton, Eli and Cooper, it’s not exactly unheard of as many student athletes are up in the early hours of the morning training. Though it wasn’t nearly as common fifteen or twenty years ago as it is today.

Regardless, still an interesting story.

And something Eli might want to take up again given his recent struggles.

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