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The last 20 years could’ve been completely different for the Indianapolis Colts had the team not picked Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. The former went on to become the greatest player in the franchise’s history, while the latter turned out to be one of the most infamous busts of all-time.
It’s a good thing, then, that Colts owner Jim Irsay chose to ignore the advice of famous journalist, author, and friend Hunter S. Thompson, who apparently wrote a letter to Irsay a month before the draft attempting to sway Irsay into taking Leaf over Manning.
Leaf posted a picture of the aforementioned letter, wherein Thompson said he wouldn’t grant a $30 million loan Irsay requested to secure the services of Manning but would do so if he picked Leaf. Thompson also provided a brief scouting report of the two and even broke down the Colts’ offensive line situation while he was at it.
“[Leaf] looks strong & Manning doesn't — or at least not strong enough to handle that ‘Welcome to the NFL' business for two years without a world-class offensive line,” Thompson wrote.
So I received this letter last week. It’s written by Hunter S Thompson to @Colts Owner Jim Irsay in 1998 a month before the NFL Draft. This is unbelievable, hysterical, & ludicrous!! Have a read. @richeisen and I will discuss today on @RichEisenShow at 11:00 AM PT. #mindblown pic.twitter.com/AWStCEiSTM
— Ryan D Leaf (@RyanDLeaf) July 5, 2018
Manning sure proved Thompson wrong in term of not being strong enough to handle the physicality of the NFL. He didn’t miss a single game for 13 consecutive seasons until a serious neck injury virtually ended his Colts career.
It’s hard to imagine what would’ve happened had the Colts picked Leaf over Manning. Luckily, Thompson didn’t have his way and the Colts got to enjoy close to a decade and a half of sustained success thanks to one of the greatest players ever to play the game.
