After the Super Bowl, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning supplied the same message about his future every time he spoke. He’s waiting on the recommendation of Tony Dungy, who advised against an emotional decision.
It’s clear, then, that the emotional decision would have been to retire.
There’s another benefit that comes from waiting. By not announcing his intentions on Sunday night, Manning didn’t take attention away from his teammates and coaches.
During a pregame interview with Bill Cowher, which had been taped at some point before Sunday, Manning became emotional when talking about the importance of being known as a good teammate. And but for one slip after a 2005 playoff loss in which he said, after explaining that he’s trying to be a good teammate, the team had problems with protection, Peyton has always been an impeccable teammate.
If he knows he’s retiring, his decision to keep the decision to himself becomes a genuinely selfless act, allowing the aftermath of the win to be all about the team and not all about Peyton.