Peyton Manning has been a fan favorite for almost two decades.
The former NFL player was drafted to the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, and later made Denver his home where he led the Broncos to two super bowls, winning the second one—Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
Sure, he’s arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time, but what truly makes him a winner in our book is his strong Christian values.
The 41-year-old doesn’t just talk about loving Jesus, he lives like a Christ-follower.
“For me generally it had always been the big four: faith, family, friends and football,” Manning writes in his book, Minding the Truth. “And I tell all of them that as important as football is to me, it can never be higher than fourth.”
Manning accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 13. Since then, his faith has been his number one priority. He grew up in a Bible-believing home, and he tries to be the best man he can be. But there’s an important reason why you don’t really hear much about that side of him.
He would rather his actions outshine his words.
Long-time NFL official Butch Hannah told ESPN about a time when Peyton Manning really proved what he preached.
Hannah recalled a game during the quarterback’s second-to-last year in the NFL. The Broncos were playing the Dolphins, which proved to be a rough game for Denver, and for Manning.
“I called back two Denver touchdowns,” Hannah explains. “But late in the game, the clock [was] about to run out. Peyton mistimed a snap and they had to run one more play. Peyton said something off-color to me, which was not at all like him. I told him, ‘Peyton, you’re better than that.'”
After that, the game was over. Denver was able to take the W by just three points, and the conversation was forgotten—by Hannah at least.
A few weeks later, the official received a FedEx package that had originally been sent to the NFL offices in New York.
Inside was a letter from Peyton Manning.
“He said he wanted to apologize for his reaction to me that day against the Dolphins,” Hannah said. The letter also asked that he accept the QB’s apology.
“That’s the only time that’s happened to me in all my years of officiating.”
A few months later as he was preparing to work a preseason game, someone came up and put his arm around Hannah. It was Peyton Manning.
“He asks me, ‘Did you get my card?’ I said, ‘Peyton, you’ve got to let this go.’ He says, ‘You have no idea how upset I was with myself.’”
Hannah says he couldn’t have been more impressed by Manning’s actions. It speaks volumes to the man, husband, son and Christ-follower that he is.
What they say is true, actions do speak louder than words—especially when it comes to living a life like Jesus. Often times, we squish Christianity into this little box of do’s and don’ts, stuffing an infinite God into the puny confines of our own minds. We think we know what following Christ looks like, but in his book Manning that Peyton co-wrote with his dad Archie, Peyton reveals how his Christian walk may not look the same as anyone else’s—but it is no greater, and no lesser.
“Christians drink beer. So do non-Christians,” Manning writes. “Christians also make mistakes, just as non-Christians do. My faith doesn’t make me perfect, it makes me forgiven, and provides me the assurance I looked for half my life ago…I also think I’ve been blessed—having so little go wrong in my life, and being given so much. I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don’t talk about it or brag about it because that’s between God and me, and I’m no better than anybody else in God’s sight.”
I can’t think of a single thing more honest or true. Thankful for professional role models like Peyton Manning who are a shining example of what God calls us to.
