Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning couldn’t help but take a shot at his old rivals during NBC’s broadcast of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.
Peyton Manning had an epic rivalry with the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick-led New England Patriots during their illustrious careers. Manning and Brady faced off 17 times (regular season and postseason), including five playoff meetings.
Despite the competitive on-field rivalry, Manning has always had a good personal relationship with Brady and Belichick. However, it didn’t stop Manning from making a “Spygate” joke during the opening ceremony.
Earlier this week, stunning news came out that Canadian soccer teams had been caught spying on other teams using drones. The Canadian Olympic Committee sent home Bev Priestman, the manager of Canada’s women’s team, after New Zealand’s team reported that drones were flying over their practice session.
After Mike Tirico referenced the scandal on live television, Peyton Manning joked, “A little Spygate in soccer.”
Peyton Manning with spygate jokes at the Olympics pic.twitter.com/3ihqKBUY5w
— Vid Clip Hero (@VidClipHero) July 26, 2024
The Spygate scandal came to light early in the 2007 season, when the New York Jets caught the Patriots illegally filming their signals from the sidelines. Belichick was fined $500,000, and the organization $250,000. The Patriots were also stripped of their 2008 first-round pick.
Peyton Manning even admitted in 2021 that he was worried about the Patriots possibly bugging his team’s locker room. Manning didn’t want to take any chances, so he would talk to his receivers in the showers instead of the locker room.
Peyton Manning: “Every time I played New England, I used to go and talk to my receivers in the shower… Don’t talk about a play next to my locker because I know it’s bugged.” #mnf
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 21, 2021
After the scandal became public, many fans, analysts and former players accused the Patriots of “cheating” during their first dynastic run. Commissioner Roger Goodell quickly destroyed the Spygate tapes, meaning we’ll likely never get the full answers about the scandal.
Peyton Manning Returns To TV In September
With the 2024 NFL season just around the corner, fans will get to watch Peyton and Eli Manning on the popular “ManningCast” program that airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ during “Monday Night Football.”
The first MNF game will see Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets take on the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 9.
