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NFL notebook: Emotional Manning bids farewell to Giants

[January 25, 2020] Eli Manning said farewell to the New York Giants on Friday in an emotional retirement ceremony at the team's training facility.

Joined by his wife, their four children and his parents, Manning reflected on a 16-year career that included Super Bowl championships following the 2007 and 2011 seasons.

"No one loved and appreciated being a Giant more than me. And that will never change," said Manning, 39, a two-time Super Bowl MVP.

"From the very first moment, I did it my way. I couldn't be someone other than who I am," Manning said about his arrival from Ole Miss. "Undoubtedly I would've made the fans, the media and even the front office more comfortable if I was a more rah-rah guy. But that's not me. Ultimately, I choose to believe that my teammates and the fans learned to appreciate that."

--San Francisco 49ers running back Tevin Coleman is making slow progress in his bid to return to the field against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.

Coleman, who is working his way back from a dislocated shoulder, followed up running on the side in Thursday's practice by participating in the team's walkthrough.

Although Coleman technically missed his third straight practice and is officially listed as questionable, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was encouraged after seeing his running back's MRI results, saying, "They were positive results, so we'll see how he is next week, but wasn't able to go today."

--Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager George Paton removed himself from consideration for the job as general manager of the Cleveland Browns, according to multiple media reports.

Paton was considered the top candidate for the position after the Browns hired former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as their head coach on Jan. 13.

According to Cleveland.com, Paton will stay with the Vikings after having some questions about the power structure of the Browns and the division of labor within the front office. He left Cleveland on Thursday after his second interview. The Browns' next choice as GM will reportedly be Andrew Berry, vice president of football operations for the Philadelphia Eagles.

--The New Orleans Saints want to keep emails exchanged with the local Roman Catholic archdiocese private and are going to court to try to shield the correspondence, according to an Associated Press report.

The emails could show the team was assisting the Archdiocese of New Orleans in managing the fallout from a sexual abuse scandal through public relations strategies, according to a court filing.

The request to bring the documents to light was filed on behalf of more than 20 men who believe the emails could show the Saints helped the archdiocese to hide crimes committed by clergy. The emails in question are from 2018 and 2019.

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--If quarterback Drew Brees decides to suit up for a team in 2020, he only will put on the black and gold uniform of the Saints, he told NFL Network.

The 41-year-old is a free agent and must choose to retire or return for his 20th NFL season, which would be his 15th in New Orleans.

"I have never been in the situation where I was mulling over the thought of ," said Brees, a 13-time Pro Bowl selection. "To me, each one of these contracts, I don't know how many it's been with the Saints, I've played with them 14 years. It's not a matter of if it gets done, it's when. At this stage of my career, it's not a given that I'm coming back every year, but when that time comes, I'll always be a Saint."

--Antonio Brown was released on $110,000 bond by a Broward County, Fla., judge who ordered a mental health evaluation, revoked Brown's passport and required GPS monitoring as terms of his conditional freedom.

Brown is facing charges of burglary with battery (a felony), burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief.

Brown turned himself in late Thursday, one day after police in Hollywood, Fla., issued an arrest warrant for the free-agent wide receiver after he and his trainer allegedly attacked a moving company truck driver. The judge also ordered Brown to undergo drug and alcohol abuse screening and turn over any guns in his possession. Brown appeared in court wearing a sleeveless anti-suicide smock.

--Police in Rocky River, Ohio, pulled over Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt earlier this week and found small amounts of marijuana in his car, according to multiple reports.

Hunt was pulled over for speeding on Tuesday, and as officers approached the car, they smelled marijuana. A search uncovered the marijuana in three different locations inside a backpack in the car, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

Hunt was cited for speeding but not drug possession. The Beacon Journal said Hunt was driving 77 mph in a 60-mph zone while traveling westbound on Interstate 90. The Browns told ESPN they were "aware and looking into" the incident.

--Field Level Media

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