Every time Peyton Manning sets foot in the locker room lately, he comes across No 18 shirts that other members of the Denver Broncos left for him to sign.
Nothing out of the ordinary. Happens all season. Except nowadays, instead of asking him to donate an autograph for some sort of fund-raising endeavour, teammates are eyeing a personal keepsake.
No matter that Manning, 37, has made plain he has no intention of retiring right now, whether his Broncos win or lose against the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday night’s Super Bowl.
“A lot of them had a note: ‘Sign this for me’. So I must have signed 10 jerseys for my teammates,” Manning said. “That makes me think they think I probably should be out of here after this game.”
As he spoke, Manning jutted out his right thumb, using the universal symbol for “Take a hike!”
“I feel,” he said, “like they’re dropping hints to me.”
The anecdote was told with a chuckle, part of Manning’s amused take on all the questions he has received lately about his “legacy” and his future.
“All these hints at, like, retirement,” Manning replied when a reporter wanted to know about post-playing plans. “I guess everybody’s trying to get rid of me.”
Manning noted that he has not “thought a whole lot about” what he wants to do when he decides to stop suiting up.
When Manning returned to the NFL after a series of neck operations that sidelined him for the entire 2011 season, there was plenty of talk about when – and even whether – he would get back to the level of play that earned four MVP awards and one Super Bowl title with the Indianapolis Colts.
He ignored others’ voices. But he acknowledged he could not ignore his own questions then.
“I certainly had my concerns that entire time,” Manning said.
“The doctors just couldn’t tell me anything definite. They wouldn’t say, ‘You’re going to be back at this time, at 100 per cent strength level’.
“They couldn’t tell me. So when the doctors can’t tell you that, how do you really know?”
Manning recalled what some said as he prepared to move from the Colts to the Broncos.
“There was a lot of ‘narrative’ out there on what I couldn’t do,” he said. “Such as ‘he can’t throw to the left’. And, ‘He really struggles throwing to the right’.
“I’m like, ‘How do they know? I’ve been throwing in private the entire time’.
“At the time, throwing to the left was about the only thing I could do well. So there was a lot of misinformation out there.”
As it turned out, Manning would be just fine.
Last season he led the Broncos to the play-offs, earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honours.
“I kind of joked, ‘I never wanted to be eligible for that award’ ... I’ve got to call it more of a second chance, second opportunity,” Manning said.
John Fox, the Broncos coach, called Manning’s immediate success in Denver “truly remarkable”.
“To build on that,” Fox said, “and to have the kind of season he’s had to this point this year, I think is unprecedented.”
From the very moment it began in September – on opening night, Manning threw a record-tying seven touchdown passes in a victory over the reigning champions the Baltimore Ravens – this season has been all about Denver being Peyton’s Place. In Year 2 of his second act, Manning threw for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards, both records.
If the Broncos win tonight, Manning will become the first starting quarterback to lead two franchises to Super Bowl titles.
“He’s one of the best – if not the best – quarterbacks to ever play the game. One day, I want to be like him, in terms of the way he thinks,” said Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback.
Manning is not inclined to discuss his own standing in football.
“I’ve been being asked about my legacy since I was about 25 years old,” Manning said. “I’m not sure you can have a legacy when you’re 25 years old. Even 37.
“I’d like to have to be, like, 70 to have a legacy. I’m not even 100 per cent sure what the word even means.”
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Scotland's team:
15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
