The NFL is looking into the possibility that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase violated NFL rules about coaches and players working together outside prescribed times in the offseason when they met with Alabama coach Nick Saban recently, although Manning has now joined Saban in saying the meetings took place separately.
Saban said that the two Broncos only saw each other to say hello and that the meeting he had with Manning was about Manning “asking questions about how he could get better as a player.” Manning met reporters Monday as the Broncos opened up their offseason program and also said that he and Gase were in Alabama separately while agreeing with Saban about the reason for his visit.
“I know there isn’t a rule that says you can’t get better,” Manning said, via Lindsay Jones of USA Today.
There is a rule against coaches and players working together in the offseason, though, and the league will decide whether or not Manning and Gase violated it in Alabama. We’ve heard complaints about the rule from Ravens coach John Harbaugh and others, which could lead to discussions about changing it the next time the union and the league discuss such matters.