Peyton Manning fakes out crowd with retirement joke
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had a speaking engagement Tuesday in Jacksonville, Fla., where he decided to throw the crowd a curveball with the ol' fake retirement announcement.
"Many have heard I have a significant announcement to make, so I thought I'd make it here," Manning began, according to Jeff Darlington of NFL Network. "... Papa Johns is offering 50 percent off."
A joke paid off with some promotional content. Now that's branding.
Manning, apparently, has a future in comedy:
Peyton just ripping off one joke after another. Forget football commentary. Stand-up comic, if he retires. Crowd is howling with laughter.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 3, 2016
Manning went on to talk about his other endorsements, Jaguars rookie Blake Bortles' interceptions, and the merits of being a great leader during the speech.