Demaryius Thomas says his former teammate Peyton Manning is “old school.”
No. 18 doesn’t tweet, he doesn’t use a Facebook page and fans won’t see his personal photos on Instagram. But No. 18 is social, in a traditional sense. He takes out a piece of paper and pen, and he writes a letter.
Thomas, along with retired NFL players, Manning’s family members and others who met Peyton during his 18-year career shared their personal letters from the quarterback in a new Gatorade commercial series.
“I remember pulling the mail out, and going through all the bills, and it’s just bill, bill, bill – and then, Peyton Manning,” retired Bronco Brandon Stokely says. “He could work on his handwriting too, by the way.”
Gatorade calls the commercials “Dear Peyton.” They debuted on Thursday, the first day of the NFL draft.
Archie Manning tells the camera his son enjoys sitting down to pen handwritten letters, something most people don’t know. He says it was early on that he impressed upon his child the importance of sending a note to others. Letters started when Peyton was 11-years-old and away at camp.
“Peyton has a very big heart. And he’s very considerate of the people that have an impact on him,” brother Eli says, adding sometimes letters are meant to lift a person’s spirits. Other times they may be to say thank you.
Peyton sent Eli a letter after he was drafted. He sent a letter to Pam Franzel, mom of Tyler Franzel, a young Colts fan who lost his life to cancer. He wrote to former Colts coach Tony Dungy, who says he’s never met anyone as thoughtful as Peyton Manning.
Derek Jeter also remarks on a letter of his own. Gatorade made an ad bidding farewell to the Yankees star in 2014.
Watch the videos below:
