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A number of former and current NFL players have weighed in on the New York Giants benching Eli Manning, with the latest being New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who was traded to the franchise for Manning on draft day, called the Giants' handling of the situation “pathetic.” The Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, who was selected in the same draft as Rivers and Manning, took a more personal approach, admitting “that could be me.”
Brady, whose only two losses in the Super Bowl came at the hands of Manning and the Giants, delivered a heartfelt statement on the matter during an appearance with Jim Gray of Westwood One.
Transcribed by ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio:
“I have nothing but the most respect for him and everything he’s achieved and accomplished in his career… Obviously, being on the other side of two of those Super Bowl losses to an Eli Manning-led team, I just have so much respect for his dependability, for his consistency, for his toughness. You know, that’s really everything you want in an NFL player and I think Eli has always provided that for the team. So I think it’s a pretty unfortunate situation.”
Brady went on to bring up various other famous athletes who didn't experience happy endings with their franchises, including the San Francisco 49ers' Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott. After a number of years as Montana's backup, Steve Young finally earned the starting job and Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Lott's best years came winning Lombardi Trophies for the Niners, but he was eventually let go in free agency.
For the time being, Manning remains in the Big Apple, but there is speculation that he'll move on this offseason. Among the possible destinations that writers and pundits have mentioned are the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.
