MY FAVORITE MANNING

Cooper is my favorite now, nothing but respected. Admiration for his legendary father is two younger superstar brothers, but I've always admired Cooper his outlook on life, the way he has shown acceptance without lingering anger or resentment of a diagnosis that ended his football career before it began at all, Miss spinal stenosis, forcing him to pivot to change his expected life path to reinvent himself, and we talk all about that. I also like the Cooper doesn't take himself

too seriously. There are great stories about growing up manning the volatile full house in New Orleans with three very competitive brothers. But I also like how Cooper is maintaining the Manning tradition of families loving and supportive, but also gives you this space to find your own way, which Cooper is doing now as the dad of the next General Manning star quarterback. Well, Cooper, it's good to see it. Thanks for taking time. We were talking the other day offline.

We were involved in a radio show. We were both very young long ago mysterious origins. Remember remember, not very well by either one of us. But I do remember we did a radio show. You were fresh out of old mess. You've been a broadcast major. Right there you are on the air in New Orleans and we're doing a radio show about football. Beyond that, it's all gray area for me. I remember this vaguely, Chris. I know, I was in fresh in New Orleans and out of school.

And then there was a kind of a local um legend, Buddy Delaberta, who had massive following on w w L eight seventy, the clear channel fifty giant. You could listen to it in Michigan on a you know, on a cool night, and he had had a heart attack. And so they said, oh, Cooper's in. It was a broadcast guy. He can host a radio show. And they said, if you host the radio show. I had not hosted anything.

I barely knew how to you know where the microphone was, and and they said, oh, you could be hosting a couple of nights, you know, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from eight to ten, calling show whatever you want to do. And I remember you were a hero of mine from scholastic sports American days, so I said, why not reached out to Chris se if you'll join the chaos, And I appreciate you bailing me out because I didn't know what

the heck I was doing. Well, you're a young kid in her room and doing a radio shows a weird sensation. You're alone in this room, maybe one guy there. You get a microphone, but fifty thousand watts heard everywhere, and you're you're sitting in for a legend. You don't know what you're doing, and they say you can do whatever you want. But those shows can feel long and scary

if you don't have a clue. It's very lonely, and especially um if you say something that you think it's kind of funny, and it's just like this is work. I remember I even got my dad to come on as a guest, and I was like, uh. He even came physically down to the station and we're talking and I was like, Dad, I appreciate being on. I thought

you would have worn a shirt tonight. And it's a little you're a little casual, and he's like, you know, he's just nodding, like expect to be able to laugh, and no one laughs, and he's like him or shirt you know, you know, so anyway you can definitely feel like you're throwing you know, no hitter out there. It's lonely.

That's funny. Well, you've done a number of different media things which we can get to, but you're everywhere, along with your brothers and your dad on these uh, these Caesar's spots which you cannot turn the TV on without seeing Caesar's. And it's because it's you know, sports betting is exploding a lot of places. We just see him a lot here in the New York area. Next question, aren't you Is this your first meeting with Caesar and Cleopatra? We met mom in two thousand seven. Ah, the helmet kids,

Actually that was two thousand and eighty. Things Miami was Peyton's first super also great, but not as great as the helmet catch. I wouldn't hit him with the numbers. Probably, who cares? We all? Caesar's am all right, keep it, Cooper, He's my favorite. Happy Holidays everyone, We all, and the man is awso Caesars. Those look like funny experience if you shot commercial. Sometimes they're not fun, but but JBS move. Academy Award winner Halle Berry you're sitting there around this room.

Take us through that, how those were created and how fun they were. Well of Chrise. First of all, we were all Caesar's. I think that's fair to say out of the gates. Um, you know, I think this thing had been in the works for a while. I was probably, as always, kind of the last got to find out, you know, Peyton and he probably running the show. And Dad's like, all right, we gotta go to Vegas. Shoots of Caesar's commercials jump on. And the shooting of this was in Las Vegas. As a matter of fact, we

got dressed. Our dressing room was the room from Rainman where Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoppin we're you know, we're hanging out. So there was a lot of nostalgia there. And I'm a movie buff, so I was kind of appreciated the the historical references there. But it was so loose, like I had no lines for any of this, and Um and JB. I had worked with him one of the time. He had come on The Manning Hour one time and we had again no script for him. You just you just give a general theme of what to do.

And he is so clever and so fun, and we just hit it off and just started and the cameras just roll and the and the directors were kind of like, you know, JB O going and if you feel a direction, just send him that way and he'll go that way and we'll document everything and it'll all, you know, it'll all shake up pretty in the end. But it was a lot of fun. I'm not sure a lot of those still don't know that was Hallie Berry, Like that was a pretty woman right there, you know who what?

And I'm like having oh And I don't think my dad knew it was until about three four through, Like, Dad, that's you know, oh yeah, yeah, I didn't know the first time watched the spots because she doesn't have a lot of lines. He basically just kind of looks annoyed at JB. Smooth. But that what a process, though, man, to have no lines to just riff and then I don't know how long the cameras roll, but you gotta get this thing down to a thirty second commercial. They're

so tightly edited and you got all this material. How did you talk your way into getting some lines? Because when you should you're gonna go to Vegas when you're just gonna be background while your brothers are talking and your dad talking. To mean, come on, I know, a couplet, play with the play with the glasses, look at the glasses. And during anytime a break, I would always just ask j B stuff or just comment on things and try

to make him laugh a little bit. And finally, out of the blue, he starts talking about, oh, you know, you might, you know you might? You look fabulous? You know, I get do they look fabulous? And started I'm like, but at the end, I swear we got done. I didn't think there was any way. I thought I was just gonna be kind of a you know, the third brother, just a pud. You know, I figured up where a coach and time probably look a little bit better than

everyone else. But he has definitely helped my name recognition on especially during these football games because it's that commercial runs a lot. Well, he calls you you're my favorite Manning and you you are mine too because you are known as the fun one, and and you don't take yourself all that seriously. And I think people connect with certain parts of your story. But were you always quote the fun one growing up? I think I was. I mean, my dad always says, they found me on the doorstep.

So I always like to just, I don't know, kind of take it the easy way and have fun and grasses green right where I am. And Peyton was a little you know, wired a little differently, and we um were you know, kind of combative and fought a little bit. And then Eli was just so laid back and didn't care about anything. It was kind of and I think my parents did a really good job of like not trying to make either one of us or anybody in a certain way like that's the way it is. Let

him roll. You know. They're having people over for cocktails one night, and they like, bring in the entertainment. Here comes cook, you know, and it could, you know, dance for us, young boy. You know. It was like that sort of deal. So he had a lot of time to perform. I'm sure the guests thought it was horrible and boring and who is his kid? But your parents parents were kind of proud of of how everybody was wired differently and and uh embrace that. So it's kind

of worked. H I can relate to that. I was trying it at a cocktail parts I didn't I certainly didn't didn't sing or dance, but I was asked to recite certain things. And my dad was a theater director and they are both in the arts, so I had some of that, and I was asked to perform in front of guests, and you know, pretty mortified I could do it as a young kid. Then they got very shy, probably traumatized subconsciously about doing But like your your dad

had the video camera out. It seems like for everything, I mean, in the Book of Manning, it's a great documentary. There's all these home movies which are really cool to have. But was he just you know, doing everything you guys were as a family. He's got a recording of it. I guess it was such a new technology at the time. And you know, I think he always really prouded himselves on you know, spinning timeless he's playing football et center. But so time outside of that was in the yard,

shooting hoops, playing football. But Payton still, you know that documentary he paid complains about. It's like, look, there's Cook, he's six, I'm four. He's kicking me in the stomach. But no, Dad, make sure you don't don't check on the young boy. Just document this in case it's ever. You know, I'm gonna be a These boys turned out to be quarterbacks. If people want, you know, see it and read about it, don't don't come tend to your child. So that thing weighed about two hundred pounds. It was

that you actually had. It was like carrying a full VHS machine and the camera. So, uh yeah, it's amazing. It's funny. Archie the documentary, he'd be the guy that likes, uh, got his phone out. Way of building is burning. It is not calling nine one one, He's just capturing the video. I'm impressing you how to do I mean right now? Still, it's like he barely knows how to you know, press sin on it. We've talked about a text message and now the emojis are his favorite thing. But he's he's

not exactly technologically advanced. So I'm glad he was able to document that because it is, you know, it's funny. So I'll see people in an airport, you know, I'll be the milk in Philadelphia. The guy come in and go, oh, I saw that document. I was you know, I was in that. I was playing again jaell on that two on two games. I lived down the block. I mean it just we uh, we had a good neighborhood of football and Dad got it all all on tape. That's awesome.

He had an interesting neighborhood. I want to get to that in a minute. But the relationship between brothers, it's so close to me. I got a younger brother, Drew's two and a half years younger. I did an entire podcast on partarily relationships of the guys in Kings of Leon Patrick and John mckinnar. I just think that the way brothers interact, that the unique strength of the bond, the love, but also the ability to get under each

other's skin and fight and claw. I think it's hard to understand if you didn't grow up around that, but that little documentary and the clips give a kind of a window into what you guys sort of were like growing up. It seemed like a handful of in New Orleans. I think, you know. I think it also depends on how close you are. Peyton are two years on the on the dots, So when that means typically until you

get to about a certain age, you're competitive. But the older brother has got an advantag mean two years when you're ten at eight is a big gap. So he was fiery. Didn't like to lose. We played a lot of sports and competitive adn't like to lose it. We

just it just never ended very pleasant. It was always blood or crying or running and and I know Peyton things in that in that show that he was documented as just like this whiny baby, but really he is getting abused by, you know, an older brother a couple of years older him. But it was a fun way to grow up in. Eli was later and kind of quiet, and I think I think probably Peyton beat up on Eli a little bit more kind of trickle down economics

right there. And you were guilty of that too. According to the documentary, you guys took turns getting to see who could make Eli cry first. We take a lot of credit for him playing all those games in a row. And you know, it was funny. This week, my son had his first m R I. This a little m R I. He was complaining about it and I called Eli. Eli said, he checked. He just didn't a medical deal during his NFL career. He had eighty one m r s.

So I'm like, get ready here they come. I mean nothing, you know, I think he wound up being Okay, but you know it's part of the deal. Yeah, that's part of Eli's mythology, never missed a game, because how could he not be tough with you two guys, you know, you know, you know, beating up on him. By the way, tell your son to check out his grandfather, your dad's records about playing them. You know, the Gator Bowl with a broken left forearm, and that was that's when football

was tough, man. I mean, the mrs didn't exist, and the trainers would just like put a litt duct tape and throw it back out in the field and those days. Yeah, I know, I think just that era is just he also talks about, you know, at halftime they're they're trying to wave the cigarette smoke or whatever. You can see

what the second half plan was. I mean, different era, Oh, I know, but growing up, I mean obviously your dad in Mississippi and ran he was like Elvis, So you're growing up as the the oldest son of of Elvis basically that kind of fame and folklore. Anything he did it was pretty special. But then it got magnified and retold and and and you know what what was that?

Like everybody had a story about Archie, right, and so you you you either have to listen to it or get to listen to it or get tired of it, or whatever your perspective is on that. Yeah, I guess, Uh, it was always fun, you know, be in the son of a quarterback, especially you know, New Orleans was kind of a new franchise and he was the first pick, and they weren't very good, but it was you know, it wasn't He signed a lot of autographs and he was kind of people. People were pretty kind to him.

I think that's the one thing after all this is that he was well liked and so you were proud that he was your dad. And uh, he took us place as we didn't need to go. I mean we went to every Saturday practice. He would stick us with the trainers and you know, we get taped and put pads on and probably in the world of the NFL today you can't do. And then you go back to

Mississippi and it was even more. You know, he was just you know, kind of a legendary guy, but but just a real humble guy and and fun to be around and had great friends and it was a it was a lovely way to grow up. Yeah, and by all accounts, you guys talked about this in documentary what a what a caring, loving present father, uh he was,

and how important that is. But when you're sort of following his path and you're playing football as Archie's kid, I mean there was a pressure involved in that, right or did you manage to sort of, um, keep that out of the equation as much as you could? You know, he he did a good job of just making sports fun. He thought, play everything. You know, play basketball, football, baseball,

I don't play tennis, play golf. And then if you you know, as it got a little we got older, he was really big on if you want to do this more seriously, I'll help you, but you have to ask for the help. I'm not saying all right, you better stay after and you know, hit some more ground I'll hit some more ground balls to you. It's like that, can you can you throw me a couple more? Can you feed me while I'm shooting hoops? Can you, you know, hit me some flyballs? It was you had to ask

for it, and then you know, you loved it. It was not it would never seem like work. But he would sometimes say, hey, you know, I don't know if you're gifted enough to just kind of show up at the beginning and you know, practice over hit the road. You even have to do some extra work if you want to really do what you're saying. And so you

kind of got the hint. I mean, we went. We didn't go on a ton of fancy vacations, right, And then we go down to Florida and I've been down to desk in or maybe you know something involved in the NFL. I always brought my cleats and brought my football. We got we got our workouts in. It was just kind of part of the deal. But it wasn't a duty. It was just it was just the way it was. It was fun growing up in that area. We talked about this. The Garden District of New Orleans one of

the unique places on Earth. I love New Orleans as a city. It's it's got a culture in a history unlike any place in America or the world. And the Garden District has these beautiful old homes at day back and you guys are growing up there. Everybody knows where the Mannings live. But but there's Anne Rice, you know, Vampire Chronicles, globally famous author Uh, I'm a huge nine inch nails fan. So Trent Resner growing up right, I think he's behind you, gut. I mean, what an incredible neighborhood.

I don't know how conscious you were as a kid of these kind of stars in very different arenas that we're living right around you, guys, Chris, that the neighborhood changed a lot when those two uh moved in. This was kind of a little old ladies touring the Garden District, maybe a few busses and they you know, tell a little story, and all of a sudden, I'm like, these weren't little ladies walking about. These were people dressed as vampires. And you had some uh kind of some grungy looking

metal heads going. Do these people really care about this Garden District architecture? So it was cool. It was added a whole new dimension to the UH, to the Garden Distire tours. But you know, Peyton and I would always well be out there in the front yard a lot throwing, and they'd have these tours going and and every night, and then we just say, all right, let's let's get him a little something, and we you know, start yelling at each other and then just get into a full

wrestling match, just faking it. You know, I'm on there. Just people are going, sir, can we get some some help here? But wait a minute. Wait, if you guys are putting on a show for it, I'm just imagining like these open air tour buses that are coming. Buy is that what it is? Yes, exactly right. Just you know, garden dish tours come by and two kids, you know,

screaming and yelling in the front yard. It was like, that's what, you know, that's what fifteen year old and thirty year old was supposed to as opposed to, you know, short cheating your bed. We're entertaining these you know, poor souls and walking by the street. It's funny. Did you ever wander down the block and knock on the vampire ladies door or were ever curious about what what her vibe was like? She was pretty, you know, she was pretty. Uh, you didn't see her much. I went over there at

one time. Her her son was younger than me but at moving with me in school, and some girls were over there to kind of babysitting. We walked over there and we didn't last long, and he said go ahead and move on. And I never saw Trent. Trent. I mean he was there for several years, um, but I mean a little his backyard backs up right, and you never heard you never heard nine H. Nail's music or they were working through stuff coming through the walls or anything.

I think he's got some pretty soundproof system over there. It was. And then shure enough he moves out in John Goodman, the actor by buys that house. So it went from you know, a lot of characters garden districts, really cool place to grow up fund. My parents lived in that house for forty years and just sold it. And uh and Peyton being kind of the nostalgia guy

and gets, you know, gets caught up at everything. He said, all right, we gotta all go back to New Orleans for one night before they move out and have a you know, just just the family of dinner, spend the night there. He gets, you know, he sucks that. Everything starts going through his old you know, drawers and closets looking for you know, just flashback material to talk about

the good old days. And you're not that metal. You're just rolling your eyes as he's going through this, you know, I think and I kind of look at each other, are you going to this? Okay, find I'll go to this. Just don't even You know, when you don't live in the same city, you try to just avoid any sort of like it's not worth it, you know, too much struggle to get into a hoop. Lo. Let let him. We'll have some fun with it and just but it

was fun. It was cool, it was great, and uh, you know, it was a house where kids, kids ran. Marty Gros was a big part a huge backyard, so it was kind of grand grand central for for a lot of teenage boys coming and going swimming pool. Um. I think everybody tried to did something for the first time in that backyard over on the first rate. So it was I'm trying to do this anything. I woke up, you know, Sunday morning at my house and I'm like doing a I usually do my body camp by how

many pairs of shoes or downstairs? I saw their fourteen shoes down and I'm like, I got seven boys upstairs somewhere sleeping. It's just it's just kind of the way it is. And then I know it gets quiet quickly, so I'm enjoying it while it's actually packed. That's kind of cool, You've recreated that. I'm just trying imagining. You know, your your your childhood house during a Marty Gras, which, um, you know you had people doing stuff before they're legally

allowed to do it. But jazz Fest. I mean, I'm just what was it like to be a kid around around that household during Marty Gros? You want floats? You're doing the whole parade thing, are you? We would you know? Okay? You know even in in New yorle In in seventh grade at school went to Newman, it is the first year the whole grade rides in the float. So you learn how to ride and the float at a pretty early age. And then some people love it. I got

friends who ride in four parades. You know. Peyton wants to ride and parade this year. It's like, I don't think we're riding to parade. Throw some beads to my children, like you can light it up here we go. Come on, I'm not I didn't grow up with it. I've done that. It's fun. Steve Walsh, the former Saints quarterback, we were on a float. It was a good time. I don't know about four four is a bit much, but yeah, people think of it's like big on stage at a concert,

like everybody's just cheering and yelling for you. It's good for the ego. Some people need that. Um Peyton obviously clearly still needs that. He wants a round on the float, so he'll he'll, I'm sure you'll pack. You'll probably get someone to send him, you know, a hundred NFL balls. It'll sign them and be throwing him on canal streets. I'm trying to knock out windows. It'll be fun. Well, the summer you were a mask, maybe he would make sure he's not unmasked and everybody knows who he is.

I don't know. Yeah, he's he's pretty good at Halloween. I think he loves he walks around and as wears a mask and you know, no one ever knows. But I'll tell you, Chris, that's something about being in New Orleans and you kind of have a house. You just you make friends and it's like, hey, can we come over and you know, can we use your bathroom? Can we come get a beer? Can we you know? And these are my fourteen friends from Colorado, St. Louis, you know,

Houston and Dallas. Can they come on in and and it's just kind of I've met so many people that were just in town that you know, stumbled into our yard and uh you wind up sitting on the front porch or sitting on the stoop and just visiting and and uh, you know they've become friends forever. So you know, open house just just kind of roll with it. In New Orleans is that kind of place that's cool. Uh. Back to football. So now you're your senior year at

high school. It's Peyton sophomore year, your receiver. You're already established guy in the team. Here comes younger brothers are already a pretty good quarterback. But talking about playing that year together in high school football because I've heard Peyton said that's his favor for a year in football, and he's had some pretty good ones. I think it was really special with my parents, to both of us being there, and high school football is just so special and pure.

I mean, you do something great and everybody's excited to do something wrong, and you know, and talks about it. You know, it's just kind of one of those things. You drop the touchdown passing and you wide opening game and you drop it. Everybody just it's not in the paper and out on the coach. They're not, you know, and so it's just, uh, it's still fun. And selfishly, I love being you know, Friday nights right now we're in the thick of that. But it was really fun

playing with Payton. We threw so much in the front yard and just had such a chemistry that to finally get to do it on Friday night when it mattered, when it counted, was really fun. And it was kind of the era of when throwing the ball was still a little bit taboo. People were still kind of running and you know, throwing eight times a game, and we were throwing twenty five or thirty and he was a sophomore.

I think it's always kind of funny. I think some people were looking at my film as like, Okay, this kid can you know, play football? But who is this little skinny sophomore putting it right here every time? So I think, uh, it was any question that Peyton was going to go on and do great things just by by maybe scouting his older brother and you saw, you know, a hundred and sixty pound quarterback that had a lot

of potential. The receiver quarterback relationship, the communications interesting on and off the field, what is the veteran receiver communication like with the with the young first year starting quarterback, who who quarterback's role obviously just to kind of run the show? Was it? Was it peaceful, combative, you know,

as you know Chris, receivers are open every time. So I don't know, you know, I don't think he threw me a lot of footballs and my dad and I think, you know, it was a way too many of a percentage of the of the routes going to me. I don't think my my parents were kind of embarrassed walking by the parents of those other receivers who were just kind of catching a few and they were probably wide open, and Payton still throwing and the kind get a break over here. I know he's your brother, but I'm it

was it was. It was just as fun as it could be. And uh, you know, as you kind of have to, you kind of have to step back and say, all right, you're a quarterback. You know it's your show. He can't be running the show as a receiver. So I think in some ways, even now, while I am the older brother of Peyton, we are far more I mean, it may have been reversed or definitely more peers than

I go. You know, it's kind of harder. He doesn't he doesn't take you know, I guess, uh older, too old, you don't take my advice very well and less unless asking. Let's put it that way. I tell what you're you're being careful in saying it, but I know I know exactly what you mean, like, but it doesn't shift. S does you get older? I mean my brother and I both in our our fifties and in my late fifties, and yes, there's I do. I wouldn't. I wouldn't want

advice from him. Too off, and I think he's wiser and some areas he could give it, but it's just not not in the in our relationship that he would do that much. Yeah. The really the one Peyton does lean on me and I'm grateful this because I love it is when he's doing comedy, uh this this past weekend he was supposed to be on He's on Saturday a lot, and he said, well, you read this and tell me because sometimes he doesn't even always get it. And I'm like, yeah, if you were doing you know,

we can talk about it. And I guess sometimes when it's uh, you know, on a on a close uh, you know, a close call or down to the wire. He'll lean on me and I can either say I don't think I do this, and I think he does actually value my opinion. But that's that's probably as qualified as I get. No, you guys seem like natural performances, and Payton Peyton shocks people when you get out there and be pretty uninhibited and commit fully and start dancing and doing stuff, or or firing a football off a

kid's head in a skin. I mean, what was that? Just something that was innate with you guys to sort of, I don't know, be free to try to be funny or take a risk or be performers. You know. Chris, I think we were the oldest to grandchildren, so I'm the oldest, paid the second oldest, so we always, I think, had a pretty big audience. My parents on the couch, my grandparents there, and some uncles who didn't have children yet.

So we're, you know, surrounded by a bunch of people saying, let's let's show us how you learn how to do a push up, do the jump ro do the pogo stick. We'll put you in a figure four leg lock, just you know, and then dance, tons of music, always on, just dancing, you know, like John Travolta Saturday Night Fever. Show us your moves, show us your new move. Uh, Peyton was doing and he was showing off his three

step drop since he's been three years old. So I don't think being in front of a crowd, whether it be you know, in Paint's case, you know, a stadium full of people, much less an audience was was a big deal. And I think my dad also, he always kind of a lot of public speaking after after football and even during so he always kind of made a big deal like it's really good if you could talk

in front of an audience and be comfortably. Kind of wanted that to be something that came natural to us and kind of, you know, pushed us towards that a little bit if there was ever a chance to acceptable or don't just get up there and you know, thank you, it's great to be here. Really, you know, use it as a time to kind of practice and own your skills. So, um, No, Payton's really I mean he is. He is super comfortable and I've done some public speaking things with him. He's excellent.

He's excellent and prepared and that's nothing. He can be prepared. He didn't like a lot of all right, let's see what happens, which I love, just you know far away. I did a deal with Kirk herb Street one time and he goes, I was filling in for my dad, and I go, how do you want to do this? He goes, Peyton likes everything scripted, and he goes, I don't like the descript I go, I don't care what the questions are. Let's do it. And we had a blast. So it's just how you're wired. Yeah. I like the

ad lit part. I remember that anything you do with Peyton, it's pretty well known you're not You're not supposed to go off the page too much. He wants to know what's coming, what the play call is, structure, and so you get that message if you're gonna work. I like the I like to wing it a lot better. It's

a lot more fun. Yeah. We I do some mode, some do the moderator for him sometimes on some corporate speaking sometimes and I love just every nine and then just pull one out and he's like, that's not all the script, you know, Like, no, it was on my script. I don't know. So yeah, I saw Eli's show, and you went on there and roasted him for for being unqualified to be a talk show host. I thought that was funny because I guess, unlike you guys, public speaking

didn't quite come as naturally to him. Eli was so shy. I don't think he spoke till he was like sick. I don't think he went outside till he was like ten. He was just you know, being five years younger than and we just he was just kind of sheltered. So it has been such a phenomena to see him so comfortable on the Monday night football gig and just sit back there and kind of let it come to him and Peyton's going on a hundred poules an hour and him just picking his spots to make fun of him.

He is uh. I love seeing how comfortably he is in his own skin. And he's always been comfortable. It's just he's just been comfortable saying nothing. So now he's got some stuff to say, which is uh. I love seeing him succeed, you know, kind of outside football. Of course, Eli went to Ole Miss you did too, and you know, and following your dad's footsteps and going to that school and and taking all that on. I mean, I'm sure you grew up loving All Miss, but what was the

recruitment process? What was your selection process like? Because people don't realize this when when Archie went to Ole Miss, he didn't get a whole lot of offers. They sent a graduate assistant as the as the legend has it down to sign him, not even the head coach. And he shows up in Oxford. He's like, there's like six quarterbacks or seven quarterbacks on the roster and he's grinding their way in the freshman team getting destroyed. So what was it like for for you to, you know, get

recruited by by the Rebels. Well, yeah, I've grown up going to Oxford a bunch and going to the Grove, but just being fond of of Ole Miss and the then you know, it was my parents both and my mom was a homecoming queen. Dad was kind of the star quarterback. See that just the the times, they're the

fun and all their friends were all Miss folks. So it was it was kind of something you talked about on those road trips to Oxford five hours back in the day they had this to it just it seemed like a great place to be in Oxford's a wonderful town. But uh they came and offered me out of the gates Billy Brewer as a head coach and was one of the first offers I ever got, and they stuck with me, and uh, I had some other opportunities to

go to Virginia and Texas. It wasn't hugely recruited, but it was a it was a great fit for me and um, I love Oxford, still have a place there, and we'll always have a special place in Hart. You can you can kind of separate the two sometimes, Chris, as you know, you can love all miss and then love Oxford and not. You don't have to love them both to enjoy both. Vote well, I love Oxford, that's for sure. And and being in the Grove is one of the great experiences you can have as a sports fan.

You don't even have to be a college football fan or or even know what football is, but just being

there and and taking that in is really cool. But obviously you're you're set to go there, Cooper, and you get the diagnosis after a process where you you're trying to figure out what's going on right with your with your arm and your dad is increasingly concerned and and take us through that when when um, you finally arrive at a diagnosis of spinal syenosis before you even get to All Miss to play a freshman season, and and and how tough that was. It was challenging because you go,

you know, you're still an athlete. You're up at You're up at All Miss. You go through two and aged, you're you're practicing, all your friends are in the locker room and in the athletic norman on the team, and all of a sudden, finger work they were kind of numb and it wasn't working and just didn't feel right. As a receiver, one catches the ball like I want to and the athletic trainer said, something doesn't match up here.

Let's go, let's go see some folks. It started to go, went to the Mayo clinic, went out to the Baylor UH to just get different diagnosis. And when it came to and they said, look, this is not good. You're you're one hit away from you know, being in a wheelchair. Football is the last thing you need to be doing. It's just heavy because your your eighteen, your this is kind of what you got your heart set until You've worked so hard for it, and all of a sudden

they're just gonna take it away. And you don't feel terrible, but they just said you can't play anymore. And that was that was tough. You kind of had to, um, I don't know, reinvent yourself. So I gotta find some other things that I care about, I like about, I like to do because you used to, you know, be in the routine and having running and lifting and practice every day. It was that was it was a challenge. They're experts, but still as a kid, it's hard to

believe that. Wait, Abu, I've taken a lot of hits in football. What do you mean? What do you mean? I'm a hit away, I've taken punishment. I'm a tough guy. And and it doesn't seem real because you're you're in the present right and you're not thinking about the close calls you may have had before that. You're thinking about

what's taking if you're in the moment. And also, you probably had your identity was probably tied up in football and being a football player, and that's what you thought your future was going to be, right and off to the NFL at some point. That's kind of the way you know, most eighteen year olds to go off to school do think, and so yeah, it was it was tough. Parents were great. I think it. I think it rocked

Peyton a little bit. You know, he was there, he is in high school, sixty and seeing his older brother and his teammate all of a sudden, you know, he's he's fine, but he's he can't play anymore. I think kind of made him appreciate every play could be your last. And I think that's how we're doing it. You know, at home right now, he'st you gotta you gotta have a have a few backup plans in your hip because this this is a tough game and doesn't last forever.

And uh shoot, Chris, I didn't get to find out you do it. You can do a lot of things in college when you don't have to be at the training room at seven getting taped up. You know, I utilize that time. I had a lot of fun. I went to all these schools and went to go to travel and see other friends that were at you know, it's nothing to go see Georgia for a week and go to TUSA looser and go to Knox spool and got to see Peyton play and all kind of fun college site. So I took advantage of it, but I

certainly missed not playing. One of the things that I admire about you is the just the notion of accept in life, acceptance of what the universe deals you. That you can't control acceptance without being bitter or angry about it or resentful about it, because that's not true acceptance. I mean, how however you wrestled with that Cooper. Obviously

you've got two very famous brothers playing phenomenal careers. That was part of your identity to I mean, how did you arrive at that or was it just was it easy for you to accept that right away the way you did an adulthood I think a couple of things. I think my parents were They were not super strict, but we were not allowed to complain. You know, it

was not a place you could just complain. You gotta whatever whatever happened was was gonna happen, and you deal with it and you put a slide on your face to make the best of it. And I think, um, I was certainly um. I wouldn't say I was ever jealous of Peyton. Me last career, but I was certainly I was envious they were getting to do it, but I was the biggest supporter of it. And I think it also stems from my parents doing a good job of not making any of us more important the other.

I mean, you know, hey, Payton's gonna play this game. We want to go. We're both fighting our fingernails and you know, and grinding it out and sad when we lost, and thrilled and hugging when we won. So he did a really good job, you know, in a guy in a in a in a way that it could very easily you could have felt like, boy, this is I'm kind of a third wheel here that sitting it sitting as fun as it should be. I was so a part of the whole situation. And uh, I mean kindly,

I cried after some games. It didn't sleep after we lost the super Bowl and and didn't sleep and had more fun when we won one. So it was I just, uh, the way he handled that, it's given me a lot of lessons to me. Now, I'm in a situation now where I've got one son getting way too much attention and the other ones are kind of and you gotta it's it's a delicate balance. I'm trying to make sure everybody knows that this is everybody's even here. Yeah, it's

easy to say you can't complain. As a parent, that's a good lesson and and that's you'd love your kids to to listen to it. But this is not whining or complaining about some homework, right, This is something that's that's bigger than that. How is that ability to sort of have acceptance and in such a dramatic way as a young person shaped you throughout life when you have the the ups and downs and the obstacles that that are inevitably gonna come up. Well, I just I just

have a pretty cheery disposition. I don't like being around a lot of seriousness. Maybe that's good or bad. I like the good stuff, and I don't take myself too serious. I don't. I just I just really, uh, I feel pretty fortunate to be where I am. I mean, hey, it took what It's one thing I can't do is

played football. I get calls all the time, Chris, from parents and kids who wind up they look on the internet and I must be the first thing that shows up next to spinals to knowes it because people get it and you don't. You're not necessarily you know, hurting. You just say, hey, you got a little ding here, and it shows you shouldn't play football anymore. And I get calls and I talked to tons of parents about, look, this is a chance for you to now do some

things you probably never whatever thing to do. You know. I had a great I had this. I had this mother called me about her son. He was alignement in Ohio, big kid, and uh founded, he can't play a senior he was. He was really struggling. They were, you know, crying, and I told him, look, he needs to try to do something else. Play the guitar, learning how to play golf, go out for the school, play, just go do some

crazy stuff. And they called me. They were crying and laughing because he had gone out for the men's volleyball team and he was terrible, and they were they were so excited that he was out there and they were laughing, but they were crying. And I stayed in touch with a lot of kids and a lot of their parents that have gone through the same thing, and it's just it's just hand your debt. You can't do anything, and if you're gonna dwell on it, you're gonna bring yourself down,

their bails down. It's I don't, I don't. I don't have time for that. You don't have time for that. It's time to move on and make the best of it and keep living life. Well. I think it's an awesome philosophy. Sometimes easier said than done. But to be able to be a messenger to a lot of kids who don't know what that at that moment, what they're gonna do, but their identity is that's kind of neat, man, that's kind of neat to be able to use a platform. And and yes, your your name does come up when

you google that. Um people perhaps are relieved to find that you're not struggling with paralysis or something else, because that that can happen with with that and and so I know you you wake up feeling lucky about your your lot in life. I'm a lucky guy. I've got I've got to do all kind of fun things and I'm I'm enjoying every day. I really am. I'm excited to get to talk to you. Well, you you're in the hotel business. The graduate hotels are it's an awesome idea.

I've stayed on a bunch of them around different college towns are themed to that school. Um, you go to UH graduate in in Eugene, Oregon, your room key might be Phil Knight's student. I d that's a that's a cool little thing. And there's ducks all over the wall. But what a cool project. You can do all sorts of things in in finance, what you've done and investing in real estate, but when you get to do something like that that that's connected to sports and has a

unique personality, that's neat. You guys, just keep building these hotels. Now it's it's in the UK as well, right, Oh yeah, we're you know, this is two sec guys. My business partner Ben Weapond, and it's just so smart and thoughtful and creative. And I think he thinks I am smart and creative and I'm not. But as long as he thinks that we got a good relationship. We have these cool college towns, and I love college towns. Nothing better in the world than going to a college town and

find it out. Where is the best barbecue joint and where is the best place to get a cold beer or you know, or late night you know, where does everybody go? I just I just love all that. So now to be able to create an element of hospitality and Chapel Hill and Oxford and Athens and ann Arbor and Berkeley and Richmond and just be a part of

that is is really fun. And then and then to be creative, like we're doing something in Madison, Wisconsin, and all we do is start talking about, well, you know, back to School with Rodney Dangerfield was filmed in Madison. What you know, my favorite quote in the world is, you know, look out for number one, but don't step at number two. But Thornton Mellon, I mean, why is that? How in the world was that ever gonna come in useful? Coming playing at a business meeting? And sure enough with

the graduate everything's everything's green light. That's cool at college town, spending a lot of time there and and liking to wander the campuses and maybe uh yeah, wander into a saloon or to any that those are fun environments, which I think about, how can we do a property that Wisconsin fans are could connect with when when you know what, you could have jump around playing in the lobby, I guess,

But I mean that's that's pretty cool. That's different than hey, let's make a generic business hotel attached to a conference center somewhere. And Chris is what I like about it more is that you know, an opposing team can come to Indiana and appreciate the hotel in Bloomington if you're an Iowa fan and not feel like you're in you know, bart stars room. It's not in your face like repentance and posters. It's more storytelling and uh and cool stories

that are layered into that community to that college. And so I love that they stay at one and they want to go to stay at the other one. So it's really a really fun project. Creative people, smart people. I'm I'm kind of tickled to be a part of it. You mentioned your son arch name for your dad, which I think is cool unless there are other archies before him and the family, you know, being a quarterback. He's still got another year of high school. But the recruiting

is is pretty crazy. It's pretty insane and maybe even to the level that Peyton experienced or more. I mean, what's it like, you know, being a dad and trying to guide him through that as best you can. Uh, it's yeah, everything starts so early now, Chris, I mean, I don't you know, Peyton probably didn't get his first letter until he was, you know, maybe a sophomore junior. Then you you know, you're filling out your height and weight. Now everything with social media and internet and just um,

it just gets accelerated. So and he got off to a fast start and getting to play as a freshman. So now with the even people are gonna be like, no, he's not, he can't be a senior. He's been playing for seven years. By it it seems like, you know it's gonna last forever. Um. But he's getting a lot of tension. But I think he's handling it really well. Arch is a sweet kid and got a good good head on his shoulders and loves his friends and loves his teammates, and and uh, I think he's real. I

get I get nice. You know, I told Arch a long time ago, you're gonna you're gonna get a lot of attention both ways. And so if you can utilize this platform to be kind to people, you're gonna get a lot of credit for it. And I get a lot of people say, oh, you know, Art was overcame over inself he's nice to my you know, son is in eighth grade, and so I think he's got a good um. Yeah, he's a good person, and I think, uh, we'll see how the football works happen. He's kind of

trying to enjoy the process. Yeah. What something else that's changed in the last few years is college athletes being paid for name, image, and likeness. And some have played the game very well, and some guys were able to take care of their families while they were in college. And I have to wait for a pro contract, which is awesome, and many people think it's longer for do the players sharing it. But at the upper end of it, man,

it's pretty crazy. There's there's a website that estimates the n i L value of prospects guys who haven't even signed yet. Your son is right there with a a n i L valuation of one point six million. I mean, are you aware of that? Did you see that? What's your thoughts about that? I mean, I think that's I don't know who came up with that number. I'm sure it's some twenty five year old recruiting coordinator goes, let's throw a number. I don't that means, you know, squat.

So look, we're just we're just trying to you know, pass chemistry and uh keep him out of the you know, keep him out of jail during marti gras. Those are our two goals in life right now. Well, I know it's as a parent you want to be grounded, but listen, as a young football player these days, I mean, it's certainly a part of the recruitment process. It's a part of the transfer portal process. I mean, you're very aware of what's going on in the sport, and it's just

a whole other world. I mean, it's layers that focusing your era and certainly not your dad's there had ever had to deal with it, are now a part of

being a sought after prospect in a college football environment. Now, yeah, the whole, the whole game of college football seems to have changed in the last three or four months, just with the coaches moving around a lot, a lot more frequently um and then the element of these big signing bonuses and classes and recruiting and people moving around, not a lot of no one, No one sits around and because I'm gonna be a backup, I'm gonna work for

it for two or three years, everybody's onto the next thing. So um, we're trying to just keep it. We're trying to do the things. It's probably a little bit like they used to be done back and you know, I don't know fifteen years ago. Just try to, you know, go pick a school that you like, the coaches that you liked, a place you think you'd be happy if you weren't playing football, and get a good education, make

friends and and uh and try your best. So I know that sounds kind of simple and how do you do to you? But I think sometimes people can get a little ahead of themselves and we're just you know, these are eighteen year old boys that you're trying to just turning two men. And uh, I think whoever uh can do that the best is probably gonna get the guy. I think being ground that is almost essential given the environment. I mean, your dad being an all mislegend, that's where

you chose stead of his pretty simple choice. Then your dad takes a lot of crap when Peyton doesn't go to All Miss and goes to another SEC school. I mean, we won't even joke about it. It It was some there was some serious ugliness that we don't have to get into. Then Eli goes to all mess and all is right in the world. But now people are expecting Arch to know it's it's just a lot of family history, a lot of a lot of stuff in there that if you allowed it, if he allowed it, could could make

the process fraught, right, pressurized. I think still if you really get into that. But I think, you know, I'm trying to raise children to make decisions that are the best themselves. And I mean, I don't I don't know where he's going. I don't really care. I just thinking, you know, I think he'll want him to make a decision and live with it. And it's not gonna be easy. All these places you go, whether you're playing sports or not, you have you know, I don't like my chemistry teacher,

and he do. I've got to see, hey, deal with it. Ghost, you know, this is this is I like to try to think I'm gonna make these kids tough and resilient and deal with the hiccups and the curveballs and and the speed bumps that come along the way. And football has more of them than any of them. So um, he'll he'll figure it out. Do the do the deligence we're just trying to gut him along the process, and we'll cheer for him and and uh and pick him

up when things don't go right. Perfectly said, you want to give seminars to other parents who have hot prospects, because that is that is the best way to the no complaining family motto seems to be getting passed down to another generation by you. Yeah, I just I was like that even in this If I don't mind a complaint, but let's have a solution. Don't just come in and say you know so and so's you know, I just don't have I don't have time for that sort of nonsense.

If you got it, you got it all fixed up before you're gonna you know, something's broken and we're gonna get it fixed. Great, But don't just tell me it's broken. You know, come fix this. It doesn't work. It's just too tight. I don't you know, I don't have I don't have time for that nonsense. So that's one thing in high school. I wonder how you're gonna handle being, you know, a parent when he does go off to college.

You seem to be pretty chilled, but you say you were, you were invested at heavily invested when your brother's careers. I'm sure you know, being a parents like another level. But uh but that that'll be another interesting experience for you. You know, Yeah, I wish I could have the temperament of my My mother is just the coolest of all.

And she's I mean, she's been to six Super Bowls and countless horrible baseball tournaments and crappy towns across the country, and you know, win, lose or draw, she just gotta always had the right perspective. Dad, it's over there with bloody fingernails, you know, pacing Giants stadium, looking for a lucky spot next to him, hot dog vendor that they've got a first down, so he's gonna stay there a little longer. So I'm hoping I could get somewhere in

between there and have a little bit of balance. I'm a little animated at times, um and uh so I'm trying to figure it out as the stakes get higher.

We'll leave it with football. You talked about you know what it meant to you, And I know you've spoken about what you what you missed when you weren't able to play, But but what is it about the game and relationships and the bonds that are formed because of the challenges and the obstacles that that you think is special, that you you witness firsthand as a player, as a brother, and now as a parent. What is it about the game, Chris? I think I even saw a lot of that back

at the Whole of Fame this summer in camp. You know, you can see Peyton, see these guys who you know, certainly I got to know the Marvin Harrison's and the Reggie Waynes, and you see guys who played against their Ray Lewis. I got to go to some Pro Bowls. Peyton and Eli were kind enough to always kind of have me in the loop. And uh, they all just they all had to sacrifice. You know, you skip a lot of fun things in college and pro to to

to get there at the highest level. The extra work, the stuff you do when no one's looking, and and just tough guys who were unselfish and uh and love the game and and loved each other. And you know, sometimes they got there. Sometimes sometimes they want and none of they lost, but they they left it all out there. And I think that it's kind of a neat fraternity for uh, you know, retired players too. Sure it's fun and sent back there and listen to the glory days

and the great stories. But I think it's uh, just a mutual respect for across you know, and they across the entire landscape of football players, whether it's your career ended in eighth grade or with the high school whatever, bus rides and homecoming and cheerleaders and the band, and it's just it's just Americana, and it's just a great thing to be a part of. And I again, I I suggest, I know football sometimes it's had a few little hiccups lately on on safety and concussions and what

have you. But I'm a big advocate of everybody. If their son is debating whether the go foot play football or not, I don't care if they play or not. But being a part of a team and practicing and sweating and two days and getting yelled at and uh, you know and persevering is a part of and sometimes far more valuable than any touchdown or winning kick. It's it's it's uh, it helps you the long run. We

talked about the radio show at the top. Is there any creative outlet or avenue which the the manning brothers performance skills could come to Bears. It is a three man Broadway show in the works. Is there you know a little singing and dancing and storytelling? Have you have you work with any producers on some kind of project like that that could bring you guys together in that way? Yeah, I think we're really working on like an Oklahoma or

a Pippin or Joseph in the Technicolor dream Coat. I don't know, you can you can you give me in touch with someone on Broadway. I think I've got big plans for us three. You know, there's a lot of weird stuff getting pitched. I mean, we could just add that to the uh. I know, I got a lot of people ask me when when I was gonna be on the Monday night broadcast. I told her I was

holding out for overtime every time, but it never happened. So, um, you know, I think we're probably gonna see some weird stuff. It's fun to entertain it. I think it's good for all this to kind of stretch, like your boundaries and do some things you're not spoke do. Whether it's right or wrong, it's still you know, sometimes the things that go bad. Chris as you know, are always the greatest story.

No one still wants to talk about the perfect weather and the boat was on time, and you know, I got just the right amount of sun before I got sunburned, and they want to hear about the boat broke down, sunburn Peyton, I got in a fight, the wives hating each other, the kids are crying, and you know, and we had made a land in Sacramento and stay there for eight hours. Those are the best stories. And that's

another thing I really like about Cooper. You can always find the funny, something that a lot of us could do a little bit better job of. Speaking of funny, we'll keep an eye out for that Manning Brothers Broadway musical. Grateful to Cooper and then my co executive producer Jennifer Dempster and A. Jason Whitehill for his editing skills. I'll talk to you soon.