PEYTON Manning crowned a brilliant NFL career on Sunday as he helped steer the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl victory but put his retirement decision on hold.
The 39-year-old Manning, who revolutionized the the position while winning a record five NFL most valuable player awards, said he wanted a little time to reflect after playing in what many expect to be the final game of his storied career.
But Manning was in no mood to overshadow his team’s victory celebration, saying instead that his former coach had advised him never to make an emotional decision.
“It’s been an emotional week, emotional night and the night’s just beginning, I look forward to celebrating with my friends and family and I think I’ll take some time after that and like I said I’m gonna kind of enjoy tonight, take it one step at a time,” said Manning.
Earlier, as gold confetti commemorating the Super Bowl’s golden anniversary danced in the air, Manning raised the Super Bowl trophy.
“It’s a great feeling, it’s a great sense of accomplishment for this team, we’ve been through a lot this year, this team’s been unselfish, tough, resilient, and I think all that was on display tonight,” he said.
Manning completed 13 of 23 passes for 141 yards and one interception in his team’s 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
It was not vintage Manning, but the astute field general managed a relatively clean attack and gave the dominant Denver defense a chance to carry the Broncos to victory.
In the process, Manning became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the first signal caller to win Super Bowls for two franchises after winning the championship nine years ago with the Indianapolis Colts. (Reuters)