In the eyes of many, Eli Manning from Ole Miss was the best player available in this weekend’s NFL draft. He comes from an excellent pedigree, and is a very cerebral quarterback who has proven he can succeed at the college level.
It seemed only natural, then, that the San Diego Chargers, who had difficulties at the quarterback position last year, would select Manning with the number one overall pick, right?
Well, no thanks to Archie Manning. In an outrageous display of bad decision-making, the elder Manning told Eli’s agent, Tom Condon, that he didn’t want Eli playing for the Chargers, but that he also didn’t want his feelings made public.
Archie, who spent 14 years as an outstanding NFL quarterback playing for mediocre—at best—teams, never once made the playoffs, and apparently wishes to avoid his son from having the same stigma.
In making these comments, however, the Mannings will ultimately be setting an alarming precedent—allowing a player to dictate the draft.
The Chargers did exactly what Manning wanted; they traded him to the New York Giants. Archie’s—and presumably Eli’s—wish was be granted, which almost defeats the purpose of having a draft: letting the teams draft who they want to, and evening out the talent pool.
The NFL is the ultimate league in terms of parity, and the draft helps preserve that. But holding their ground a hanging on to Eli despite his refusal to play would inevitably wind up costing the Chargers down the road.
Rather than appreciating his son’s talent, Archie is simply falling into a trap that many parents do, and by trying to live vicariously through his son.
In doing so, however, not only is he costing the Chargers a chance to fairly draft who they want to, but he could be compromising the integrity of the draft for the entire league. If players do not wish to play for bad teams, and think they can change that just by opening their mouth, what’s to stop them?
Archie should know better, but he got his wish as Eli is now a Giant. I suppose the ultimate poetic justice in this would be for the Chargers and Philip Rivers, the player Manning was traded for, perform admirably without him. And just to make it a bit sweeter for San Diego, they can knock Peyton and the Colts out of the playoffs while they’re at it.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Polytechnic, the sports department, or its staff.
