Eli Manning; Arch Manning
Eli Manning, Arch Manning.
Eli Manning has advice for his nephew, Arch Manning
The former NFL quarterback said he is proud of the University of Texas quarterback, but that he needs to “figure out” the media on his own
Arch came under fire for comments he made regarding an AI video that surfaced after Texas beat Ohio State
Eli Manning is one proud uncle — but he’s letting his nephew, Arch Manning, “figure out that media” on his own.
In the wake of the University of Texas quarterback’s controversial comments regarding an AI video of ESPN’s Holly Rowe and UT coach Steve Sarkisian, Eli shared in a recent interview with Front Office Sports that he has some notes.
“Most of my advice is more football stuff,” the two-time Super Bowl champ, 45, said. “He’ll have to figure out that media on his own, a lot of it is just growing pains.”
For the 22-year-old quarterback, that means taking ownership of a quip he made to reporters following Texas’ thrilling 24-23 win over Ohio State on Sept. 12, when Sarkisian bailed on Rowe in a postgame interview that went viral.
“I’ve seen a few AI edits of stuff,” Arch told reporters days after the game. “I saw an AI edit of Sark, y’all seen that one? That’s a good one, of him slapping Holly Rowe. It’s hilarious.”
Arch later apologized for the “insensitive comment” in his Instagram Stories.
Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up prior to a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Austin, Texas
Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up prior to a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Austin, Texas
“There is nothing funny about it,” he wrote. “It’s easy to say I didn’t mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people. I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for that.”
As far as his uncle is concerned, the young signal-caller learned an important off-the-field lesson.
“You just gotta be careful, you gotta find your moments where, hey, you can be funny, you can be relaxed but there’s certain things that you know you just gotta learn and deal with it,” Eli said. “And I think he has learned and apologized and did the right steps handling that.”
This weekend, Arch and the Longhorns take on the University of Tennessee in the “Battle of UT” in Knoxville.
The Manning family will be there to cheer him on, including Arch’s other uncle, Tennessee legend Peyton Manning — who has said he will root for his nephew over his beloved Vols.
And if Arch has another slow start like he did against the Buckeyes, he can heed Eli’s encouragement.
“I reached out after the Ohio State game and just said proud of him hanging in there,” Eli said. “[It] wasn’t easy to start the game, but he stayed patient. That’s how you have to play the game.”