New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is famous for some of his bizarre looks on the field as well as some of the quirky comments he makes off the field.
The latter was the case when Manning was asked if he would take ownership of the name Eli now that rookie cornerback Eli Apple has joined the team.
In classic form, Manning’s response was quite comical.
“Haven’t really thought about it that way,” he said, per Paul Schwartz of The New York Post. “Never really cared about other people’s names. I don’t know what we’ll do. We’ll figure it out. I have seniority, so we can call him E.A. or Apple maybe. I don’t know. Call me Elisha, maybe, switch to my official full name. I dunno.’’
A nickname might not be an option for Manning. According to Manning’s bio on Pro Football Reference, no nickname is noted. This is unlike brother Peyton who was well known for his nickname, “The Sheriff.”
The Eli’s will just have to work that one out. Manning said the addition of Apple to the team should be exciting and he “seems like a great kid.”
Apple was signed by the Giants on the first day of rookie mini-camp. Responsible for a total of 86 combined tackles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries during his two years at Ohio State, he said signing his contract was “a dream come true.”