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"I have to say I’m so pleased to be able to host Peyton here
at the White House before I left. Anybody who has been a
football fan has watched what is one of the greatest Hall of
Fame careers ever," Obama said, with the team standing behind
him in the White House Rose Garden.
"We were all obviously a little disappointed to see him hang it
up this spring. But as somebody who is just a little bit older
than he is, I was sympathetic to the idea that running around
with these guys, it takes its toll," Obama, 54, said of Manning,
40.
Obama leaves office in January.
As he often does, Obama noted he remained a fan of his hometown
team, the Chicago Bears, but he conceded that the Broncos had a
good year.
"I will continue to root for the Bears," he said to laughter.
"But I’ve got to give this organization credit for having done
an extraordinary job. And this is a well-deserved celebration of
an extraordinary season."
The Broncos won their third National Football League
championship with a 24-10 win over Carolina in the Super Bowl in
February. The following month, Manning retired after an 18-year
career with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver that established
him as one of the game's greatest quarterbacks.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
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