Eli Manning insists he is a “man of the people” as he hilariously revealed that safety concerns were at the heart of his never having ridden a subway despite being a New York Giant for 16 seasons.
Manning shocked the sports world last week when he posted a selfie and captioned it, “First time riding the subway!”
The outrage was precisely what you’d expect from New York sports fans – not tethered to reality. Responses came pouring in, expressing shock that their blue-collar quarterback never braved the subway system.
“Is it just me, or is it pretty pathetic that the guy was the QB for the NY Giants for 16 years and never once stepped foot on a subway?” one person wrote. “Real ‘man of the people’ vibes, huh?”
Manning’s bother, Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, teased him about it during Monday night’s broadcast of the “ManningCast.”
“Eli, this was very shocking to me, I thought you were a man of the people,” he joked. “You’ve lived there since 2004. First time riding the Subway? Disappointed.”
Is it just me, or is it pretty pathetic that the guy was the QB for the NY Giants for 16 years and never once stepped foot on a subway? Real 'man of the people' vibes, huh?
— CandidJonnie (@SuperMajority18) December 5, 2024
Eli Manning Reveals Reason He Never Rode The Subway
Eli Manning, who somehow muddled through mediocrity to become a two-time Super Bowl champion, explained why he had never taken the subway prior to last week.
And it had nothing to do with the stench. In fact, it was a two-pronged reason – He mainly resided in New Jersey during his playing days, not the city. Oh, and the team didn’t want him to die.
“I am a man of the people. I live in New Jersey. I’m not in the city that often. I was in the city last week,” Eli replied to his brother. “I had to get from uptown to downtown – I hopped on the subway. I’m a man of the people.”
That’s when he revealed the very New York reason that he didn’t ride the subway during his playing days.
“It was in my contract when I was playing, I wasn’t allowed to ride the subway,” he said. “I could get pushed in front of a train.”
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Never Played In New York
As everyone knows already, despite their name, the New York Giants stadium is not actually located in New York. They play their home games in New Jersey, specifically at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
So it’s really no surprise that Eli Manning never rode the subway. What is a surprise, however, is that his contract treated the subway system as an injury risk akin to snowboarding or jet-skiing in the off-season, risky behaviors that are often forbidden in NFL contracts.
Whatever. It worked. Throughout his lengthy career, Manning played and started every game for the Giants over a 14-year stretch.
An Iron Man, and, no doubt, a man of the people.
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