Peyton Manning’s post-football life promises to be grand. He’s already being bandied about as a potential general manager around the NFL. Add in his business ties off the field, and Manning seems to be the envy of every middle-aged man in the United States.
Earlier this year, Manning was in Washington D.C. to accept a prestigious award. While in the nation’s capital, the future Hall of Famer took part in one of President Donald Trump’s many golf outings since he took office back in January.
Not that Manning had to defend himself for golfing with the largely controversial figure, he did just that on an appearance with Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night.
“To me, no matter what your beliefs are … I heard Arnold Palmer say one time, ‘if the president of the United States ever asks you to play golf, you do it’. It’s a no-brainer,” Manning said. “I think it would have been almost un-American to have said no.”
Manning also indicated that he would have played golf with former president’s Bill Clinton and Barack Obama if they had sent an invite.
Thankfully, we can now put this to rest. Some questioned Manning’s decision. Those same people seem to lack the comprehension when it comes to someone being honored by the office of the most-important figure in the United States. While Manning didn’t need to explain himself, he did a good job lobbing reality back into the minds of his naysayers.