As an NFL quarterback Peyton Manning is expected to be a leader of men. He sets the tone for the team with his play and work ethic. When Peyton Manning’s not trying to guide his team to victory he’s hanging out in the dorms at UT, talking to distraught gymnast on the phone.

Last year Oregon State gymnast Jami Lanz had what she considers the worst meet of her OSU career. After the disaster, Jami was on the phone with one of her friends that attends the University of Tennessee. A man came on the phone claiming to be Peyton Manning and offered her some words of encouragement.

Lanz didn’t believe what she was hearing, and quizzed him until she was convinced. She then held the phone up to her teammates, who confirmed it sounded like the quarterback.

“He told me that every athlete goes through what I went through. He said, ‘You know, people always used to say that I was overrated, that I could never get it done against Florida, but it just motivated me to work that much harder.’”

It’s cool that Peyton could cheer the young lady up after a bad day, but did he mention to her that he was 0-3 against Florida? Or that Tee Martin led the team to a national championship as soon as Peyton left? Probably not.. The question I really want answered is what was Peyton Manning doing hanging out with UT co-eds? He must have forgotten that he’s Peyton Manning not Matt Leinart.

Gymnast does ‘quick flips,’ mentally. Courtesy of The Oregonian

Tags: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, Jami Lanz, gymnastics