The beer guys for Eli Manning were well-trained. They’d have the cooler, and it was filled. They’d have the ice in Ziploc bags to keep it cold. They’d have it all ready for the bus ride from stadiums to airports after New York Giants games.
And given his familiarity with NFC stadiums, along with his brother Peyton’s status in the AFC, a good percentage of the places Eli traveled to had someone who could connect him with the beers postgame.
“It’s a talent,” Eli joked on Thursday’s episode of The New York Post’s “Blue Rush” podcast.
ESPN first reported the concept of Manning’s beer guy at stadiums in 2020, with Tynes at the time saying that “it was unbelievable.” Manning would sit in the back of the bus with teammates, usually a lot of linemen who had earned and deserved the drinks, he said. He added that they knew they wouldn’t get in trouble and were “in good shape” because punter Jeff Feagles — the “grandfather,” Manning joked — would join them, and “if you saw Feagles do anything, you knew it was OK.”
“To celebrate a win with a cold beer on the bus ride from the stadium to the airport before you get on the plane and then you’re kinda done, it just kinda felt right,” Manning said.
His love of beer has been well documented, and he even had an IPA brewed in his honor — Source Farmhouse Brewery’s ELIte Tribute — in 2020.
Manning’s appearance on the podcast comes ahead of his jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday at halftime of the Giants’ game against the Atlanta Falcons. He also touched on his newest role on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast with Peyton, as the pairing has increased their viewership by nearly 132% between Week 1 and Week 2, according to USA Today.
This weekend, he’ll be joined by former teammates as his No. 10 is honored and he’s inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor, capturing the impact he made across his 16 seasons, 234 starts and two Super Bowls that defined his Giants career.