Peyton Manning is a legend and he will be honored as such by the Indianapolis Colts. The team will unveil as a statue outside Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2017 season and, with that, there will be a great deal of fanfare. One visitor for the festivities, however, will not be Manning's first NFL head coach, as Jim Mora indicates that he won't be returning for the ceremony.
In speaking to WNDE's "Query & Schultz" radio show on Wednesday, Mora revealed his thought process behind the choice to decline an invite. (h/t Dakota Crawford of the Indianapolis Star)
"I told him I wasn't going to come, I had reasons. I would love to come back there, but because of the way I left the Colts, my relationship with Polian, I don't know. I just wouldn't feel that I would feel comfortable being there."
"I would love to come, but I think I would just feel a little bit awkward there," he said. "It was a big part of my career. I coached some really good players there. I loved the organization. I loved the city. It was a great city."
Mora was reflecting on his ousting in Indianapolis, in which he was asked to fire a defensive coordinator (Vic Fangio) and refused to do so. This type of thing is not uncommon in NFL circles but, after more than 15 years, it is a bit odd that Mora's ill will holds to the degree that he won't return to honor Manning.
The show will certainly go on and there will be plenty of NFL luminaries there to pay their homage to Manning but Jim Mora won't be one of them.
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