Just a few weeks ago, it appeared that NFL quarterback Peyton Manning would enjoy the perfect storybook ending to his surefire Hall of Fame career, but as he formally ended his 18 years in the professional league on Monday, he could not fully escape the shadow of scandal.
In a tearful press conference, during which he emotionally described his “reverence” for the game of football, he was asked indirectly about resurrected allegations from 20 years ago that he had sexually assaulted a female trainer when he was the star quarterback at the University of Tennessee.
“This is a joyous day, and nothing can overtake this day,” Manning told reporters. “I think it’s sad that some people don’t understand the truth and the facts. And I did not do what has been alleged, and I am not interested in relitigating something that happened when I was 19 years old. Kinda like my dad used to say when I was in trouble, I can’t say it any plainer than that. So this is a joyous day, and a special day.”
“Like Forrest Gump said, ‘That’s all I have to say about that,’” he added.
The allegations against Manning resurfaced as a result of a recent Title IX lawsuit against his alma mater. The lawsuit alleges a culture that swept sexual assaults by student athletes on campus under the rug, and while it focuses on incidents that allegedly occurred between 2013 and 2015, prior accusations — including one made against Manning in 1996 — are referenced as well.
According to court documents, Manning was accused of forcefully maneuvering his naked testicles and rectum directly onto the face of Dr. Jamie Naughright, who served as the university’s director of health and wellness at the time. Manning has claimed in the past that Naughright witnessed him mooning a teammate while she was examining him, but his version of events is still in dispute.
Eventually, a financial settlement was reached with the Mannings, and Naughright left the university. Both parties signed mutual nondisclosure agreements, but after Manning derided her in an autobiography as “vulgar” and described the 1996 incident as “crude maybe, but harmless,” Naughright filed suit for defamation and received another settlement.
The allegations of sexual assault against Manning have received renewed scrutiny as the NFL has made great pains to address its image as a league that has been historically indifferent to the domestic and sexual abuse perpetrated by its players. Manning, who has enjoyed a squeaky-clean image for most of his playing career, has suddenly become an unlikely subject of skepticism.
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His previous silence on the subject of the Naughright allegations in the aftermath of the Title IX lawsuit has only raised more questions about his post-NFL future. But that’s not the only controversy clouding his special day.








