One of New Orleans' most famous native sons has fessed up about his questionable football rooting interests.
NFL legend Peyton Manning had his feet held to the fire -- by none other than younger brother Eli -- on ESPN's Manningcast during the Giants-Buccaneers game in Week 11.
According to Eli, Peyton was a diehard Saints fan as a youngster, which of course makes sense given that their father, Archie, starred with the Saints from 1971-82 and went on to raise his brood of football-loving sons in New Orleans, where they all attended the prestigious Isidore Newman School.
So, why did Peyton "abandon" the black and gold, as Eli put it? Well, it appears Peyton isn't over one of the toughest losses of his professional career.
"When you lose to a team in the Super Bowl, you have a tendency to abandon them," Peyton said, referring to the Colts' defeat at the hands of the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.
The loss came in the second of Peyton's four Super Bowl appearances, the first being a comfortable win over the Chicago Bears.
While Peyton went on to play in two more Super Bowls with the Broncos -- winning one and losing one -- it seems he views the thriller against the Saints as the one that got away.
Interestingly, according to Eli, Peyton doesn't really seem to be a "fan" of any particular team, at least not in the traditional sense.
Peyton "used to be a Colts fan, used to be a Denver fan," and even "rooted for the Giants" at some point, per Eli, but he no longer "roots for anybody."
The humorous exchange came during former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's head-turning appearance as a guest analyst on the Manningcast. ESPN launched the novel simulcast featuring the pair of gridiron siblings earlier this season, to mostly positive reviews.
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