Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday after a career that spanned almost two decades. The 39-year-old NFL quarterback made the official announcement at the Denver Bronco’s head quarters.
“Every moment, every drop of sweat, every bleary-eyed night of preparation, every note I took and every frame of film I watched was about one thing. Reverence for this game,” Manning said in a tearful speech. “When I look back on my NFL career I know without a doubt that I gave everything I had to help my teams walk away with a win.”
The football star is one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, he holds the most career touchdown passes at 539, a record previously held by Brett Favre. He was a 14-time Pro Bowl selection and a seven-time first-team All-Pro, ESPN reports.
Manning confessed that he will absolutely miss the game but “I’m totally convinced that the end of my football career is just the beginning of something I haven’t even discovered yet,” he said. “Life is not shrinking for me. It’s morphing into a whole new world of possibilities.”
The pro-athlete has been involved in the sport for 18 seasons and just last month led the Broncos to victory against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Manning spoke to Good Morning America after the big win and talked about the possibility of retiring.
“I’m very much at peace right now, I think however it works out it’ll work out the way it’s supposed to,” he said. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
Watch Manning’s retirement speech below:
