Peyton Manning Shares How Fear of Patriots Fans Led to His Friendship With Tom Brady

It’s not often that two bitter rivals, scratching and clawing towards the mountain top, end up being very close friends, but that is what retired quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have become.

There was undoubtedly a mutual respect between the two quarterbacks throughout their playing careers, with Manning and Brady going up against each other for nearly two decades in the AFC when Manning played for the Colts and Broncos and Brady played for the Patriots.

Manning dove into the origin of his friendship with Brady on Brady’s Let’s Go! podcast earlier this week.

“I was in Boston one time and I was like, ‘Tom, I don’t want to leave my hotel. They’re gonna shoot me. They’re gonna beat me up. Can you come and pick me up and take me out to dinner? Nobody’s gonna hurt me if I’m with you,’” Manning joked. “It was just kind of different. I’d see him at the Kentucky Derby every single year so [the friendship] just kind of grew throughout the years and then obviously, big games, playoff games, that just kind of added to it.”

A real friend picks you up for dinner, and saves you from Boston fans. ????

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Brady and Manning are two of the best to ever play the quarterback position. Manning captured two Super Bowl rings, and undoubtedly could have added more to his trophy case if it weren’t for Brady’s extended success in New England, where he won six of his seven Super Bowls. The two greats have respect and a deep friendship that will now last a lifetime as they continue beyond their playing days.