Peyton Manning is certainly acting — and throwing — as if Super Bowl 50 will be his final football game, win or lose.
The Denver Broncos starting quarterback was “near tears” Saturday night while addressing his teammates during a meeting, per an ESPN report.
Before the legendary player shared some words, Gary Kubiak laid out the blueprint for his Broncos to win. The head coach then set the personal tone of the final lecture, telling his squad that he loved them.
After the business plan and the verbal hug were in place from the former player, it was Peyton’s turn at the podium, where the future Hall-of-Famer cracked some jokes before becoming “very emotional.”
Manning did not indicate if Super Bowl 50 would be his last game, however. Following Manning, longtime NFL defensive stud DeMarcus Ware gave an emotional speech of his on. Aside from those three, the room stayed dead silent, hanging on the veterans’ every word.
Super Bowl 50 kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET today on CBS, when the Broncos will battle the Carolina Panthers.
Due to a rough recovery road from a nasty neck injury, generally accepted speculation suggests that this will be the 39-year-old Manning’s last game. Making matters worse, the Super Bowl XLI MVP also battled with a bout of plantar fasciitis this season.
Manning’s on-field play has shown signs of his age and health this season. With so many passing records and so much post-football opportunity, people are even placing prop bets on if Manning will unveil his retirement in a postgame interview.
Watch the ESPN report via a video above.