The Peyton Manning-Tom Brady rivalry will continue beyond their playing careers, and straight into the upcoming Republican primaries.
While Brady has refused to back off his support of lightning-rod candidate Donald Trump, Manning apparently supports a more mainstream candidate on that side.
During a campaign appearance in South Carolina, former Florida governor Jeb Bush risked the wrath of the home crowd by admitting he wasn’t pulling for the Panthers Sunday.
“I know that y’all probably maybe had some leanings toward Carolina,” Bush said, via Colin Campbell of the Raleigh News and Observer. “I was for Denver, not because of the Broncos, but because Peyton Manning wrote me a check.”
Campaign records show that Manning donated $2,700 to Bush’s campaign.
Bush said he also respected the Broncos quarterback for being “the adult in the room” in the NFL — which might just mean that Manning’s old, but is probably also the descriptive Bush is shooting for as well.