Legendary NFL quarterback and fitness freak Tom Brady couldn't believe what fellow star QB Peyton Manning ate for breakfast when he stayed with him during the offseason
Tom Brady
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning met 17 times in the NFL(Image: Getty Images)
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Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were long pitted against each other as AFC rivals. Speaking on 'The Big Podcast' alongside NBA Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, Brady shared one anecdote about when the pair trained together.
It was in the offseason ahead of the 2010 NFL campaign — Manning was coming off a Super Bowl defeat with the Indianapolis Colts, and Brady's New England Patriots — and Brady decided to visit Manning in Tennessee.
The six-time Super Bowl champion, known for his famed "TB12" diet consisting of lean proteins and organic foods as well as his rigid focus on conditioning, was shocked to see what Manning ate.
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“I called Peyton. It was the offseason. ‘Let's me and you get together. I've learned from all the other quarterback coaches. Why don't me and you sit down and talk football for three days?’” Brady told O'Neal and host Adam Lefkoe.
“He's like, ‘Let's do it. Come to my place in Tennessee.’ I fly down to Tennessee. We work out together. We play golf together. We ride jet skis together at his house. And we, of course, are eating meals."
“We sit down for breakfast and [someone comes in and is] like ‘Mr. Brady, what do you want to eat?’ I'm like, ‘I'll take oatmeal, two scrambled eggs, and that's it?’”
“‘Peyton, what do you want?’ He's like, ‘I want biscuits with gravy, three pancakes, six [pieces] of bacon, I want three sausages.’ I'm like, ‘You eat all that s---?’”
Tom Brady
Tom Brady was shocked by Peyton Manning's diet(Image: X/The Big Podcast)
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“The Southern boy with all the good helpings of comfort food. I don't like the way I’d feel after that. I would be sleeping." Manning was born and raised in New Orleans while his dad played for the Saints.
Brad'y's TB12 diet followed an 80-20 approach: 80% consisting of some combination of organic vegetables, grains, and nuts, and 20% featuring lean, organic proteins.
Brady holds an 11-6 career record against Manning, though Manning won the two recent playoff meetings (the 2013 and 2015 AFC Championship Games, both played in Denver).
Manning was a five-time NFL MVP and seven-time First-team All-Pro. He holds the record for single-season passing yards and touchdowns, and he has two Super Bowl rings.
Though Manning often fell to Brady in the playoffs, especially during his stint with the Colts. Brady retired as a seven-time Super Bowl champion with three MVP wins and three First-team All-Pro nods. Minus the rings (a major factor), Manning was considered on par with Brady for much of his career.