NFL icon Peyton Manning reconnects with former Denver Broncos teammate Wes Welker, reminiscing about legendary freedom working with Tom Brady Goddess wide receiver.
Manning and Welker explore the origins of the play in the latest episode of the five-time NFL MVP documentary “Peyton’s Places,” which premieres Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
In a preview of the upcoming show, The American Sun learned that the two retired NFL stars first visited New York City’s Liberty Island to visit the current Statue of Liberty.
As they did so, Manning, 47, was struck by how much Welk, 42, knew about the sculpture’s history.
In return, the former quarterback provided facts about the eponymous game of football invented by legendary University of Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
Manning explained that it’s called the Statue of Liberty because quarterbacks often assume a similar pose to the sculpture when they fake a pass and then hand off the ball to the runner behind him.
The 14-time Pro Bowler later revealed that his favorite Statue of Liberty game was Welker’s touchdown play in the 2008 NFL playoffs that helped the New England Patriots remain undefeated.
The Patriots made the opposite play, with Brady jumping up with his left arm, doing a 180, and firing a laser at the unguarded receiver.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion later joked that he wanted to win an Oscar for his performance on the field that shut down the Jaguars defense.
In that game, New England defeated Jacksonville 31-20 and went on to reach the Super Bowl, where they ultimately lost to the New York Giants.
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Manning and Welker eventually teamed up with a group of volunteers to perform the iconic play on Liberty Island.
When two former Broncos teammates traded lateral passes, they performed an elevated version of the move that included two Statue of Liberty poses, two fake passes and a fake handoff.
Finally, Manning shared his feelings about this unique game.
“I love the Statue of Liberty show,” he said.
“Just like in this country, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. If you have the courage to stand up for yourself, you can succeed.”
Manning devotes an entire episode of “Peyton’s Place” to performing tricks.
Later, he spoke with former NFL player turned magician Jon Dorenbos about the invention of the flea flicker.