After everything that happened, Peyton Manning kept stopping in the MetLife hallway and honoring requests for his time, no matter how fresh the wound, no matter how pronounced the pressure, no matter how desperately he just wanted to get on the bus, assume his customary place up front and get the hell out of Jersey.
“The respect he always has for the fans, that’s why I like him,” Lopez said. “That’s why I asked, that’s his reputation. I like the way he keeps his emotions out of the public.”
No, he isn’t the only player who would’ve told Steve Lopez to wait. He isn’t the only player who would sign. He isn’t the only one who knows how great he has it, even when things aren’t so great.
Yet after this game of all games, Peyton Manning was somehow no different than before.
“You know, he’s got the reputation for being a class act,” Weisman said. “That’s him. On a night like this [to sign], I mean, I appreciate it. I know. I understand. That’s Peyton Manning.”
That was Peyton Manning, even on the worst of nights.
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