Peyton Manning avoids Deflategate talk, Says Tom Brady will always be his friend

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t have much to say when asked about Deflategate, merely stating that Tom Brady will always be his friend

With the recent release of the Wells Report, which implicated New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and two team employees of underinflating footballs, ‘Deflategate’ has been thrust back into the national spotlight. With evidence mounting, and a punishment for Brady looming, seemingly everyone not directly involved has some kind of a take on the subject. That is, everyone except for Peyton Manning.

The Denver Broncos quarterback, who was back in Indianapolis attending a fundraiser at a children’s hospital named in his honor, was dismissive of Deflategate when broached on the subject. “Like I said, I’ll speak it as clearly and slowly as I can. He’s my friend, he’ll always be my friend,” Manning told reporters before a fundraiser for the Indianapolis children’s hospital named in his honor. “I don’t know what happened, I don’t have much more than that for you.” 

Manning and Brady, two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and the two most successful quarterbacks of their era, have enjoyed a rich rivalry dating all the way back to 2001. The two have faced off 16 times in their careers, with Brady currently holding an 11-5 edge. The pair have also met four times in the playoffs, splitting those meetings two apiece. It’s clear that the two have developed a great deal of mutual respect and admiration for each other throughout he years.

With the league still trying to decide on punishments for Brady and everyone else involved, Manning and others are probably wise to remain mum on the subject. Coach general manager Ryan Grigson, coach Chuck Pagano, and owner Jim Irsay have also tried to sidestep and questions concerning Brady and Deflategate as best they can. One player who has offered a surprisingly vocal defense of Brady is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took to Twitter last night to give Brady his support.

The Wells Report, a 243 page document released a few days ago by Deflategate investigator Ted Wells, states that it is ‘more probable than not’ that Brady was aware of the illegal activities, which Wells called a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules. The mounting evidence against Brady has seemingly given commissioner Roger Goodell the ammunition to punish the star quarterback, and a suspension for Brady, likely at least two games, is expected to be announced soon. Given Goodell’s much-criticized handling of domestic violence punishments and Brady’s status as one of the league’s biggest stars, it will be interesting to see how the chosen punishment is perceived around the league.

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