On the final week of January 2020, Eli Manning decided to hang up his cleats for good, closing a legendary 16-year career all with the New York Giants. Manning knew he would still be hung up on football for a bit and saw himself still hanging around with former teammates and team staff following his retirement. However, the 2-time Super Bowl champ obviously did not get the opportunity to do so given the COVID-19 pandemic.
While speaking on a Zoom call, Manning admitted it was a struggle to have his connection with the Giants cut short so abruptly due to unforeseen circumstances.
Via Chris Bumbaca of USA Today:
Once a Giant, always a Giant, only a Giant: That's how Eli Manning described his professional football identity while announcing his retirement a year ago.
At the time, the two-time Super Bowl MVP anticipated he'd spend at least a few days swinging by the facility to visit old teammates and staffers. But 2020 had different ideas.
“Guys I had seen every day for the last 16 years,” Manning told USA TODAY Sports during a Zoom call on Friday. “Being cut off cold turkey was a little different.”
Nonetheless, despite “being cut off cold turkey” as he called it, Manning still supported his former squad from afar while enjoying the retirement.
He found ways to pass the time, like driving his daughters to soccer games or practices. He exercised at home and appeared ready to sample every Sloppy Joe's sandwich in New Jersey. He even joined Twitter. For 16 weeks, though, he was in place to watch his New York Giants, who came within a game of winning the NFC East despite a lackluster 6-10 record.
The Giants missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The last time they won a Super Bowl was in 2011, where Eli Manning claimed his second Super Bowl MVP.
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