An Open Letter to Peyton Manning

Dear Peyton,

Yesterday, I wrote a blog post defending you with respect to the expanding coverage of your 1996 incident with trainer Jamie Naughright.

It continues to not sit right with me that people take this incident and its aftermath to dismiss every other part of your reputation. However, by now you must know that you made mistakes throughout the handling of the incident, and the only thing you can do is own up and apologize.

I understand that you were probably motivated by nothing but immaturity and very stupid judgment when the incident occurred. I understand that you then followed the advice of your coaches and other parties, believing that they properly knew how the system worked. I understand that an adolescent can easily think that the goal should only be to avoid punishment rather than to reflect on the incident and consider what the right thing to do is.

In 2000, when the Manning book was published, I understand how you thought - and maybe were told - that as long as you didn't mention her name, that describing your version of the incident would not be in violation of the previous settlement agreement. Maybe you thought that since readers of the book would likely be your fans, no one would dig out the briefly described incident and resurrect it.

Of course, someone sent the relevant pages to Ms. Naughright's office. If that was you, surely by now, you know that was very stupid. If it was someone else with your knowledge and encouragement, you know that was stupid too. If you have no idea how that came about, you should probably say so.

Ms. Naughright went back to court in 2005 after you apparently made some more comments about her in an ESPN story about you. I can't find any clips of those comments; the ones that I have seen show other people talking vaguely about you and the incident. If you did bring it up again, surely you know that was very stupid. If you didn't, you should probably say so.

I suspect that for the last nineteen or twenty years you probably haven't had much of an opportunity to think for yourself. But advice from your family and agents and lawyers and handlers to refuse to apologize for the incident is not sustainable. Much of the outrage directed at you as more people learn about the story is not necessarily about the original incident, but about the refusal to acknowledge it.

I understand that you perceive the incident differently from the way Ms. Naughright does, and perhaps you think you've already done enough by issuing the initial apology letter and acknowledging the incident as "crude." I understand that you were in the midst of a different, less enlightened environment in the 90s when the culture forgave and even encouraged such behavior toward non-athletes. I can see how a person who otherwise has no blemishes on his record is in no hurry to dig up the one that exists.

But that's the only choice you have now. Part of moving toward an environment that is welcoming and open to all of us is accepting responsibility for our indiscretions, regardless of the age, regardless of the motive.

Hold a press conference. Make a public statement that in 1996, you did a very stupid thing that you regret. Acknowledge or sincerely deny any subsequent involvement you had in resurrecting the incident. Be humble. Never say "but." Contact me. I'll write the speech for you.

Now's the time where, regardless of what you think about the situation, you have exactly one path to restore your credibility. You look as bad as you can possibly look right now; owning up and accepting responsibility is the only way to proceed if you want anything but a checkered legacy.