Russell Wilson Claps Back at Eli Manning Jab: 'Not Stressed About It'
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An instance of quarterback-on-quarterback violence occurred Monday night when former Giants legend Eli Manning quipped the Denver Broncos "should've paid [their] punter $235 million instead of Russell [Wilson]."
The jab was uttered during ESPN's ManningCast featuring Eli and Peyton Manning. Although meant to be playful, it derogatorily made the rounds on social media, prompting a matter-of-fact retort from Wilson.
“Come on, Chad Powers? I’m 3-0 against Chad Powers,” he said Wednesday. “It’s part of the game, those guys are having fun. I have a lot of respect for Peyton and Eli. I’ve always looked up to those guys, so I’m not stressed about it.”
For clarity's sake, "Chad Powers" is the alter ego that Manning adopted for his new show in which he went undercover as a walk-on QB at Penn State. The 3-0 was a reference to Wilson's career record against Eli — not Chad.
Manning later affirmed that he wasn't intending to criticize Wilson, who threw for 184 scoreless yards amid Sunday's 11-10 victory over the 49ers.
“No, I don’t think we’re trying to be critical. I think we always try to support the guys that are in the game,” he told Front Office Sports. “I think sometimes, ‘Hey, it’s live TV.’ I never try to take a real shot at somebody. I think that was obviously a very outrageous joke — because a punter had 10 punts. Nothing against Russell. He’s going to do great.”
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