I first thought “Poor Peyton – his alleged sins of 13 years ago have come back to haunt him. What are we to think of him that he may have done something stupid when he was a 19-year-old college student?” How mistaken I was to think that is all that was involved.
The story about this incident gained national attention when a New York Post writer named Shaun King broke it. King, a former pastor of a church in Atlanta and now a journalist has his own past shenanigans to haunt him. His birth certificate lists both his parents as white but he says his mother told him when he was a kid that his father was a light-colored black man. He has two brothers named King who say they are white. Be that as it may – we should not be killing the messenger – even though one could suggest there is a bit of racism behind the article. King, with his close association with “Black Lives Matter,” might feel offended at the high accolades given to a white man and felt it might be good to tear the “honky” down a bit or that King has a habit of finding racists under every bush.
The idea that King delighted in tearing down the white knight Peyton manning to prove his own bona fides as a black man cannot totally be dismissed. He complained bitterly that Cam Newton was not well treated after the Super Bowl loss.
Now that I’ve put you on alert that there may be other than praiseworthy actions by the messenger and pointed to things that may affect his credibility it is now time to look at the message.
Shaun King’s article was based on a court filing by University of Tennessee trainer Jamie Ann Naughright’s attorney. The attorney’s filing was in opposition to Manning’s motion for a summary judgment. It puts her best foot forward as to what occurred backed up by facts. She says she was examining his foot to see if he had a stress fracture while he was sitting on an examination table. That he took off his pants and “forcefully” maneuvering his naked testicles and rectum directly over her with his penis on her head, while she examined [his foot] in 1996.”
If this occurred, and Peyton admits something occurred, it was a disgusting act of disrespect and a heinous assault on a woman. Naughright says she was disgusted and pushed Manning away as well she should have done.
Manning did not deny the incident but put a spin on it which was rejected by a witness to the incident who is reported to have written to Peyton saying: “Coming clean is the right thing to do. You have shown no mercy or grace to this lady who was on her knees seeing if you had a stress fracture. You might as well maintain some dignity and admit to what happened. Your celebrity doesn’t mean that you can treat folks this way.”
This witnesses’s statement seems to show that Naughright was sexually assaulted and greatly demeaned by Manning’s boorish behavior. That’s very bad. It can be attributed to what we’ve seen as the attitude of these football players to women. One can never forget Lizzy Seeberg. Nor can one forget how Florida State handled another sexual assault case.
The latter two cases, and many like them, show that universities condone sexual attacks on women to protect their athletes. True it is horrible but the Peyton Manning story is so much worse. Not that the sexual assault was so much greater since it wasn’t, it is just that if the facts are to be believed the Manning family knowing of Naughright’s innocence began to unleash unjustified attacks on her. Calling her vulgar they wanted to paint her as a woman who was not worthy of respect or belief using the old gross “she brought it on herself” defense.
Here is what is particularly noxious in this sordid saga. Archie allegedly told the person who was their ghostwriter that: “that Naughright was going into the dorms and having sex with large numbers of black student athletes.” Can there be anything nasty than making her into a loose woman or anything more racists than suggesting it was with black athletes rather than white athletes? The lawyer’s affidavit also alleges Naughright was allegedly asked to blame the incident on a black athlete rather than Peyton. How different are the Mannings than Charles Stuart?
I understand the Mannings wanting to downplay this matter. I do not understand why they would try to destroy an innocent victim. Like with Nixon it is the cover-up that is most evil. But surpassing it all – and this is something that I believe most disturbed Shaun King but he couldn’t put his finger on it – was the Mannings attempt to play into a certain attitude that exists in America toward black athletes or blacks in general. They use them to hide their own white sins.
Matt- How do you feel about Jim Brown having a statue built in Cleveland? I thought his record of battering women would halt something like that? The optics look lousy.
Matt&Co.- I also read up on an incident of HGH accuser Charlie Sly’s parents being visited by a couple of shady individuals hired by the Manning family looking for Charlie Boy!!! Archie Manning has made himself look rotten in alot of situations being a helicopter daddy, this is the lowest of the low though. Also the athlete that told Peyton to “have some dignity and tell the truth” lost his athletic scholarship. Rotten stuff.
Doubting:
The truth and those who cling to it will always be trampled by a football team.
Who in God’s name would have the arrogance and/or audacity to ask Naughright to blame the incident on a black athlete? Why is this request alleged? WHO asked that she do so? Wouldn’t it be necessary to NAME the person requesting such injustice in a legal affidavit? Or is it just for US to NOT know? That would about resolve the entire case for a judge and jury I would think. I hope this young lady has sued for defamation, at the very least. Had it been proven that a Peyton asked her to lie for them and ruined her life due to her noncompliance, then they should well be able to support her lifestyle, as she so chooses.
Lex:
That is an allegation that is contained in the filing by Naughright’s attorney. I did not read the pleading so I do not know if he gave the names of the person who did it but it is not necessary at the stage of the filing to have to do that. If the case went to trial and he wanted to proved that allegation he would have had to disclose the person’s identity.
They did settle the case with her at one point – she probably was wise to take the money and run – if she ever went to trial then the jury might have been starry eyed over Peyton and given her nothing. Remember how much we worship our star athletes.
But you failed to include that even after it was resolved in court and they had confidentiality statements the Mannings wrote about it in a book further discrediting her. They sent her the book and used abusive language in the address which he sent to her at her employers address thus she lost that job as well. Also you neglected to mention how this was treated by the press at the time and present day. That ESPN were told not to write about it. That the whole story has been repeatedly swept under the rug as it occurred when he was young, it was just a prank, and completely disregard as he isn’t that kind of man bullshit and notice how differently Manning reacted over the drug incident which that too was too easily dismissed. And the NFL has elevated him to be an untouchable saint wonder boy while vilifying Brady in the press for a year, charging the Patriots $1 mill and draft pick and demanding he lose 4 games for ‘probably knowing’ about deflated balls that no one can prove ever happened as it was just an accusation by a reporter. Manning stole this woman’s life her career is shattered. And I keep hearing Goodell say ‘all for the integrity of the game’. Sadly I was just beginning to like football again.
Sky:
You are right. That did happen. The Mannings went after her again in a book making all sorts of false statements. It was not just ESPN that covered it up, it was all the sports writers outside of the two at USA Today who only wrote once about it and let it drop off the table. Of course if you ask most people they will dismiss it as a young 19-year-old guy involved in a prank. It was not a prank but a gross assault upon a woman; nor was that all because the Mannings allegedly set out to deatroy the woman and the kid who told Manning to own up to his acts.
AS for Brady he is the least of my concerns – he is quite able to take care of himself. Keep in mind Bob Kraft agreed to the sanctions of the NFL so it is a little late for him to complain. I must tell you I have conducted many tests of the pressure of footballs outside the Patriots Stadium in Foxboro using the latest test techniques and there is no doubt in my mind the balls were tampered with.
True Manning did hurt the woman and he paid a settlement for it. I’m not sure what she is doing now but she seemed like a strong woman so I expect she will turn out right. There is no integrity in the NFL – never has been – it is all propaganda. Hell, the game should be outlawed since it is causing young men severe future brain damage. Goodell is being paid 46 million a year so you can imaging what he is taking that money to keep a lid on. Football is fine if you like commercials.