Eli Manning received a predictable greeting when he was at The Linc last weekend for the Giants’ divisional round loss to the Eagles.
First, he was met by a double-bird billboard that personally welcomed him to the city in a comical callback to when Manning was flipped the double bird by a young Philly fan. Then, he was shown on the video board during the game and heard loud boos and saw plenty of middle fingers go up among the sellout crowd.
Manning’s 11-year-old daughter Ava also saw it, as she was seated next to her father, who was playfully pumping up the crowd to bring on the hate.
Speaking with Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Manning said he had to explain to Ava that there would be some things she saw in Philadelphia that she wouldn’t be able to replicate herself, or else would find herself in some trouble.
“She definitely learned a few new hand gestures, learned a few new vocabulary words that I said, ‘Whatever you hear and see in Philly, it just stays in Philly,’” Manning told Duggan. “’You can’t bring that back to school; don’t try that on your friends or your teachers. We don’t need you getting expelled any time soon.’”
Ava seemed to take it all in stride, though her first time seeing her father in a rival atmosphere coming in Philadelphia was the definition of being thrown right into the fire. Unfortunately, the two didn’t have much to cheer about that night.
“She enjoyed it,” Manning told Duggan. “It was a fun experience for her going into a hostile environment…It was my first time being at an away game with her where you’ve got a hostile crowd. She got to go on the field beforehand and see some of the players. She had a good time.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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