Here in the Circle City (Indianapolis) there have been a few rumblings & grumblings in the last few years — although they are usually quickly & quietly squashed — regarding the possible divorce/separation between Peyton Manning & his wife, Ashley Manning. Well, it now appears that there may be some legitimacy to those rumors. I’ve actually heard this one from several people within the last month. Apparently Peyton recently informed one of his local endorsers in Indy that Ashley will no longer be making appearances with him at their promotional & charity events. Another tidbit of interest is that Peyton bought her a house in Tennessee a while ago, and that she basically lives there year-round. From my perspective, if it’s true, do you blame her? I mean, that guy is either at the Colts complex, in his basement watching game films, making appearances, or shooting commercials. The wifey needs more attention than the annual Pro Bowl trip to Hawaii in February and another week long vacation out of the country each off season. It would be such a shame if Peyton failed to learn the balance of work and home life, especially growing up in a household where his father was Archie freaking Manning. Additionally, he has of all coaches, Tony Dungy, as his head coach. This is the same coach who drops his young kids off to school in the mornings before heading to the Colts complex; the same coach who is the most anti-Dick Vermeil/Jon Gruden NFL head coach in the league right now.
Peyton knows how to beat a Cover-2 (sometimes) but can’t seem to grasp the ability to manage co-habitation with his college sweetheart? I hope it’s not true, but if it is, I can’t wait to see Peyton hitting the town, trying to find the next Mrs. Manning. Sounds like a freakin reality show for ESPN. Can you imagine his profile on match.com? We already know how he would describe himself (see Sprint commercial with fake mustache); but what qualities would the girl of his dreams possess? I’ll give it a shot: seeking female, age 25-32 & willing to reproduce (prime time age to pop out the babies & recover quickly enough to pop out another one), must appreciate lonely days & nights without my company (unless I need you to pop me some popcorn while I’m in my dungeon watching game films), must truly appreciate the slow paced lifestyle of a Midwest city (Indianapolis is not LA or Miami the last time I checked), is OK being the wife of one of the most recognized & highest compensated athletes in the country, willing to be pleasant to adoring (although sometimes annoying) fans, enjoys “smiling for the cameras” at public appearances & charity events, must be willing to give “exclusive” interviews to a certain local Indianapolis TV sports reporter with the initials AC (AC’s the real deal–no disrespect), willing to hang out on Kenny Chesney’s tour bus for one week per year, must love red meat & Bud Light, must be a registered Republican, and must be considered “hot” by over 90% of males polled based on your profile picture (full body shot required (video is a bonus)–we need to know what’s going on below that head shot, sweetie). I’m sure there are plenty of women out there that fit that profile.
As a Colts fan, my biggest concern is the mental & emotional impact this divorce/separation would take on Peyton. The backup QB here is Sorgi. Jim Sorgi. Nuff said. Hopefully this is once again just another rumor going on around town, but if not, it would make for an interesting year.
