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Washington • Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos visited the White House on Monday, and President Barack Obama gave the retired quarterback a warm farewell while honoring the Super Bowl 50 champions during a ceremony on the South Lawn.
Stepping to the lectern, Obama barked out the play signals in patented Manning fashion, "Omaha! Omaha! 44 is Mike! Bags Montana!"
"I don't know, it doesn't work as well for me," the president said with a chuckle.
With the players, Coach Gary Kubiak, General Manager John Elway and Annabel Bowlen, the wife of team owner Pat Bowlen, arrayed behind him, Obama praised the team and offered a handful of one-liners and zingers. He made fun of Super Bowl MVP Von Miller for terrorizing opponents even as he modeled eyeglasses and took a twirl on "Dancing With the Stars." And he joked that kicker Brandon McManus was the offensive firepower behind the relatively low-scoring Broncos offense.
Obama razzed Manning for his roles at television pitchman, joking that "it doesn't matter whether you need insurance, pizza, a Buick. You basically can stock your whole household with stuff this guy is selling." But then the president turned more wistful and told an audience of family members and friends of the players and coaches that Manning has had "one of the greatest Hall of Fame careers ever.
"We will all be a little disappointed to see him hang it up this spring," Obama continued. "As someone who is a little bit older, I was sympathetic to the idea; running around with all these guys takes its toll. But it's great to see somebody with a career like that who conducted himself on and off the field the way he did be able to go out on top."
Speaking of going out, the president, with just seven months left in office, grew reflective, noting that he had given his acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
"Thanks for letting me borrow it a little bit," Obama said, though he added: "I have a feeling it is a little louder there when Von sacks Tom Brady, but it was pretty loud."
The president noted that Manning had offered him some advice about retiring: "He said, 'You should try it, don't overstay your welcome.' I have term limit. I have no choice."
Ahead of the ceremony, the Broncos players met with veterans as part of the Wounded Warriors program, and the president emphasized that "as much fun as this ⅛football⅜ is, it only happens because of the extraordinary sacrifice of our men and women in uniform."
When Bowlen, whose husband is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, presented him a Broncos jersey with number 44 on it - Obama is the 44th president - Obama took a look and offered that he might still be able to play wide receiver. "It's been a while since I ran a 4.4 40," he quipped.