NFL star refused to play after being drafted and waited 18 years before saying why

Eli Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in recent memory, but his start in the NFL was unusual, to say the least, with the college star pleading with the San Diego Chargers not to draft him

The Chargers selected Eli Manning with the first pick in the 2004 NFL draft, in spite of Manning telling the organisation that he had no intention of ever playing for them. One hour after the pick—enough time for the young quarterback to awkwardly pose for a photo holding a Chargers jersey—the younger brother of Peyton was traded to the New York Giants in a package, sending Phillip Rivers and a handful of later-round picks the other way.

Manning was questioned relentlessly during his career about the Draft Day move but chose to be tight-lipped on his reasoning for not wanting to play for the Californian team. Prior to his Giants side facing off against the Chargers in 2013, Manning was asked why he did not want to play for the Chargers, but Manning gave the insightful response, “I forgot.”

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Ultimately, it took 18 years before the two-time Super Bowl champion finally decided to open up about the brutal decision. During an interview on NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt’s podcast, Manning fully opened up more about his decision.

“It was my decision after talking with my agent, coaches, [general managers] and owners,” Manning said. “Going through the draft process, I was just worried about the Chargers organisation at the time. I felt it was the right decision and I had a little pull. I quietly tried to say, ‘Hey, please don’t draft me; it can be our secret,’ and they didn’t keep the secret part very well.”

Manning’s concerns about the Chargers at the time were justifiable. Many forget that Drew Brees suffered a torrid time during his first two years in San Diego and they were only six years removed from drafting Ryan Leaf, one of the most infamous draft busts of all time. Manning was represented by agent Tom Condon at the time, who also represented Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer at the time, Brees, who was still the starting quarterback and the team’s star running back, LaDainian Tomlinson. This gave Manning a view into what his future could hold, a view he clearly did not like the look of.