Eli Manning once pulled a brutal prank for a rookie who couldn’t manage to show up on time.
According to the New York Daily News early last week, Manning told people during a Giants town hall that he once wrote a note for rookie quarterback Andre Woodson that appeared to be from head coach Tom Coughlin about wanting to see him and to bring his playbook after being late and missing a meeting.
Essentially, that’s the kind of message you expect to get right before you get cut. However, Manning told the crowd Woodson bought it and was headed to see Coughlin before he finally revealed the whole thing was a prank. (RELATED: Giants Rookie Quarterback Daniel Jones Discusses His Transition Into Pro Football)
“I felt bad for a little bit,” the two-time Super Bowl champ told the crowd.
I’m an Eli Manning fan, but this prank is borderline cruel. Rookies, especially ones picked in the later rounds like Woodson, get cut left and right.
They have virtually no job security. A player showing up late for a meeting could in some situations get him cut. It’s not hard to see happening at all.
Which likely means Woodson was damn near having a heart attack when he thought the coach wanted him to turn in his playbook.
Funny? Yes. Cruel and potentially unnecessary? That’d also be a yes.
Whenever the Giants star decides to hang it up, there’s no doubt he’ll go down as one of the most entertaining guys in all of football.
He’s got two rings and just comes off as a super legit guy. Hopefully, he’s still got one good year left in the tank for fans of New York.
It should be a fun season.
