According to a report by Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post, The Indianapolis Colts are planning an honorary ceremony for Peyton Manning Friday at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, located in Indianapolis.
Per Jhabvala, Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning will be speaking at the ceremony. Irsay earlier had this to say after Manning annouced his retirement.
“Few have left their marks on a sport as Peyton Manning has. Simply put, he revolutionized NFL football. Peyton energized it as had no one before him, he made it more fun for our fans, and made the game better.”
Manning was selected by the Colts as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. After spending 13 years playing with Indianapolis, the team released him the year after his missed the 2011 season (neck injury and surgeries).
Manning had a tremendous and record-setting career with the Colts leading the team to the playoffs in 11 of of his 13 seasons. This includes two Super Bowl appearances and one championship in 2006.
During his time with the Colts, Manning was selected for 11 Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All-Pro status four times. He is also the Colts’ all-time leader in passing yards (54,828) and Top Player by Approximate Value of all-time, according to Pro Football Reference.
We can probably expect more emotions to be exposed on Friday, just as they were when Manning held his retirement announcement press conference just a couple of shorts weeks ago.