Since the 2021 NFL season began, there has been an alternative broadcast for “Monday Night Football” that features Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. It’s a more casual broadcast than what you usually see for NFL games, and fans have seemed to enjoy the Manning brothers so far. However, they stirred up a little bit of trouble in Week 3.
During Monday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, the pair of brothers had former Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long on the broadcast and the three spoke about NFC East fan bases. Eli Manning ended up recalling a time in which a child, who he said was 9, gave him the double bird.
For good measure, Eli Manning decided to reenact the gesture on the live broadcast.
Unfortunately for him, ESPN didn’t have ample time to blur out the obscene gesture. So, shortly after it happened, Eli Manning apologized to the audience.
“Alright, alright, sorry. Earlier, I gave the double bird. I guess that’s frowned upon, so I apologize if I offended anybody. I thought — that a 9-year-old did to me, I thought I could do it back. Chris, I blame you for that,” Eli Manning said.
Peyton Manning did take some responsibility and said that he egged on his younger brother to do it.
The Mannings have been a joy to watch through the first three weeks of the season. They’ve had guests like LeBron James and Nick Saban, among other big names, on the broadcast to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, the Mannings won’t be on the air again until Week 7’s contest between the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.
That has been planned since the start of the season and has nothing to do with Monday’s antics.