With Super Bowl 50 fast approaching, I'm sure fans of both the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers are both nervous and excited for the big game. I'm almost certain Broncos fans are sending good vibes Peyton Manning's way in hopes that he will be able to guide his team to victory. You know who else is probably cheering on the quarterback? His wife, Ashley Manning. I bet she's just as nervous as everyone else is for her husband, especially since Sunday could be his final NFL game ever. Speaking of the famed football player's spouse, just who is Peyton Manning's wife?
The Mannings got married in 2001 on St. Patrick's Day, which means they've been married for almost 15 years. Ashley first met Peyton through her parents' next-door neighbors, Heavy reports. Actually, they met before his freshman year at the University of Tennessee. Apparently, her parents' neighbors thought they would be "perfect for each other." Obviously, they were right, because they've been together a long time and have twins, a daughter, Mosley, and a son, Marshall.
Other than what appears to be a love story straight out of a romantic comedy, Ashley is Peyton's biggest supporter.
Actually, at one time Peyton wanted to retire while playing for the Indianapolis Colts after he had serval neck surgeries, but she talked him out of it. "Ashley was the one that was saying, 'Peyton, you’ve got to try. You’ve got to try,'" he told Sports Illustrated's Peter King. "Once I did it, I was going at it, and then I started seeing a little bit of light there. So, yeah, she was the one who kind of pushed me through it."
The two try to keep their personal lives out of the public eye, especially when it comes to Ashley letting her husband have his moment. As she told the Indianapolis Woman magazine (via Heavy), "I like to stay out of the spotlight. People may think I am aloof, but I’m not, and I am not shy by any means, but I always let Peyton shine."
Well, she definitely shines, too, and not just as a wife and mother. In 2012, she became a minority owner of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, located in her hometown. Justin Timberlake and former NBA player Penny Hardaway are also minority owners. She was thrilled for the opportunity and said in a statement, "I am very excited to make the commitment to join the potential new ownership group of the Memphis Grizzlies. As a native of Memphis, it was important to me that the Grizzlies remain in Tennessee and continue to have a positive impact on the community."
Like Ashley, Peyton supports his wife's endeavors. "I am proud of Ashley as she pursues this opportunity with the Memphis Grizzlies," he said in a statement. "While my focus is on playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos, I look forward to watching her become involved with her hometown team."
When they aren't supporting one another, they are giving back to those in need. As Heavy reports, they've done a lot of fundraising for the children's hospital at St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis, which is actually now named the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital.
I think it's safe to say that they make a great team.
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