Privileged Eli leaves sour taste
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
In journalism, you are supposed to tell the story without fear or favor. You are expected to shoot straight and if there is a conflict, you should reveal it and let the reader decide whether it influences your opinion.
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I am biased on the following subject. Very biased.
I have been a loyal fan of Archie Manning since before getting out of middle school. I have gotten to know him well in recent years and we've become friendly. He is one of the classiest people I've ever met. I have admired the way he has allowed his sons to develop their respective careers, giving them the necessary room to breathe.
Until now.
Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between the obvious meddling and bullying seen by the Manning family in the recent NFL draft and just making a sound business decision for the future. However, from a distance, it stinks.
I found disturbing the spectacle of Eli Manning frowning and glowering after achieving the crowning glory of his career by being taken first in the NFL draft. Manning acted like a tetchy teenager, the son of privilege, who was disappointed in Mommy's and Daddy's graduation gift of a brand-new Beamer.
"I hate this car," he seemed to be saying between sniffles. "I wanted an Escalade. My friends will hate me now."
Then, Manning the Younger mumbled something about going to law school for a year (hey, Eli, how were your LSAT scores?) and pouted until he was finally traded to the New York Giants. I suspect civil procedure, contracts and torts will have to wait.
There are some media critics comparing Manning's little rich-kid paroxysm and juxtaposing it against the shocking and gut-wrenching end of Pat Tillman's life. Frankly, it's contumelious to mention Tillman in the same sentence with Manning. One is an American hero. The other comes off as an enfant terrible.
Both were willing to turn down the millions of the NFL but for dramatically different reasons. Tillman said no because of a noble cause -- fighting for his country and freedom. Manning was willing to say no because his Daddy had enough money and clout to handle the car payments for a year while his son worked on his tan.
Before we get too carried away, Archie Manning had some obvious reasons to be concerned. He knows the affects of playing with a dysfunctional franchise. It robbed him of a legacy much deserved but never earned because the Saints' fans were too busy putting garbage bags over their heads instead of watching a great quarterback's career destroyed by mismanagement.
In the end, it may work out great for everyone. Philip Rivers, the kid from Athens -- who learned the game from his hard-working, middle-class father who was also his high school coach -- goes to San Diego. Eli Manning, who grew up going to private school under the watchful eye of Team Manning, goes to New York.
So it's unfair to compare Manning and anyone else, including Tillman. However, it's still difficult to miss the chilling irony of the passing of one man and the petulance of another assimilated together on a cruel and chaotic April weekend.
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