It was a very eventful Monday Night Football ManningCast for Eli Manning during the Eagles-Cowboys game on ESPN2. In the first quarter, Eli did the Dak Prescott hips dance (and called himself Shakira). And in the fourth quarter, he gave the double bird on live television.
Eli was speaking with guest Chris Long (a former Eagles defensive end), and brought up what it’s like being an opposing player in Philadelphia: “You go to Philly, I mean, you’re getting the double bird right away from a nine-year-old kid. I would give the bird; I don’t know, can we do that? I’m sure you can blur that out, right?”
So he indeed gave the double bird, which of course was not blurred out on live television.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1442684915846303745
After the commercial break, Eli apologized, while Long kept laughing.
Eli Manning apologizes for the double bird while Chris Long laughs through it. pic.twitter.com/s5kLwXS6zZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2021
“Alright, alright, sorry. Earlier I did the double bird; I guess that’s frowned upon. So I apologize if I offended anybody. That’s what a nine-year-old did to me, so I thought I could do it back.”
This sort of thing is naturally going to happen from time to time — like with Travis Kelce as a guest in Week 1 — in a three-hour conversational format, and especially when it’s featuring people that aren’t used to being commentators. But ESPN is surely quite fine with an occasional slip-up with the attention and praise the ManningCast is getting.
Peyton and Eli Manning will now take a three-way break before returning for the Saints-Seahawks Monday Night Football game in Week 7.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1442693187303211010
[Photo Credit: ESPN]
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.