
Former quarterback Tom Brady was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night. One of his biggest professional rivals made a special guest appearance at the celebration – Peyton Manning.
As part of his time speaking, Manning shared an amusing story he’s never revealed before. It involves him and Brady conducting a secret offseason workout together.
“I said, ‘Tom, let’s get together, go under the radar, don’t tell anybody we’re coming in.’ Tom flies in on Mr. Kraft’s plane, big huge plane,” Manning said. “I’m like, ‘That is not what I said, I said under the radar. That’s against the salary cap by the way.”
After getting off Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s private jet, Manning and Brady were essentially best bros.
“We lifted weights together. We threw together with these high school receivers,” he said.
And the security measures they took to keep it quiet? Hilarious.
“We took their phones away,” Manning revealed of the high schoolers. “We said, ‘If you tell anybody that Tom Brady and I are working out together, and that we’re friends, we’re going to kill all of you.'”
@TomBrady and Peyton Manning hv been great buds for a long long time pic.twitter.com/Fpfa7mpDoX
— NFL World, What's Up?? (@Whats_Up_NFL) June 13, 2024
Peyton Manning And Tom Brady’s Secret Workouts
Isn’t that how it always works with these intense rivalries in sports? Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had one of the most intense rivalries in the history of basketball. They hated each other on the court.
Off the court? They became great friends.
And here we have a similar story with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Manning said the secret workouts were meant to “challenge each other and get better” while the get-together was “a fascinating two days.”
“There are so many things that I have learned through talking with (Manning),” Brady responded. “Because when you reach a certain point at quarterbacking, you want to reach out to the other people that you really look up to.”
“Those two days were, I remember like they were yesterday,” he reminisced. “They were meaningful to me. They meant the world to me.”
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The Rivalry
The rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterback rivalries in NFL history.
From 2001 to 2015, they faced off at least once every season, except 2002, 2008, and 2011, with Brady’s Patriots and Manning’s Colts or Broncos playing each other.
Brady held an 11-6 edge in their regular season matchups, while surprisingly, Manning went 3-2 against Brady in the postseason.
During Brady’s induction speech, the seven-time Super Bowl champion delivered an iconic line about having to work to achieve greatness.
“To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special,” he said. “You just have to be what most people aren’t. Consistent, determined, and willing to work for it. No shortcuts.”
Even if it means getting advice from one of your fiercest rivals.
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