Tennessee Titans President and CEO Tommy Smith strongly shot down rumors floating around that his team is for sale.
In an interview with the Tennessean, Smith vehemently denied that the team might be sold and that Peyton Manning may even have plans of owning a piece of it. Calling the connection to Manning “nonsense,” Smith had this to say.
The team is not for sale. We are not entertaining any conversations in regard to the sale of the team. Period. Any statements that say so are completely off base, and I resent it. It is not helpful to what we are trying to accomplish as an organization and as a family.
All of that is just nonsense. It’s completely unfounded. It’s just irresponsible. It’s not going to happen. Peyton may retire; I am not saying that’s not going to happen. And I want to say I have only the highest regard for Peyton and the Manning family. They are a first-class family, Peyton and Eli and Archie have contributed greatly to the National Football League and I appreciate their efforts. I wish them the best in their future pursuits, but it’s not with me.
That’s about as black and white as it gets coming from Smith. While Smith lives in Houston, he hired Ken Whisenhunt to manage the team into a new era. Finishing this past season with a 2-14, we can see Smith’s plans aren’t working out so well.
Whether we want to take Smith’s word for gold at this point, or see if Manning sneaks into play, this will make for an interesting story to follow. With Manning non-committal about playing in Denver, it does make one wonder.
