Second Thoughts

Never too late for Peyton to say he's sorry

Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning sent an apologetic letter to recently retired referee Butch Hannah for an “off-color” remark he made during a game, then later asked whether Hannah received the letter.
Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning sent an apologetic letter to recently retired referee Butch Hannah for an “off-color” remark he made during a game, then later asked whether Hannah received the letter.

Peyton Manning now has been retired for more than a year, but the tales of his prolific letter writing and thoughtfulness continue to roll in.

Recently retired referee Butch Hannah relayed this story to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press about how Manning got on his case -- and then later tried to make amends.

"Peyton's next-to-last year, the Broncos were facing the Dolphins in Denver and the whole game was a struggle for them," Hannah said. "I called back two Denver touchdowns. But they pulled it out by two or three points [39-36]. But late in the game, the clock [was] about to run out, Peyton mistimed a snap and they had to run one more play. Peyton said something off-color to me, which was not at all like him.

"I told him, 'Peyton, you're better than that.' "

Within a few weeks, a FedEx package arrived at Hannah's house, by way of the league offices in New York City. Inside was a letter handwritten by Manning.

"He said he wanted to apologize for his reaction to me that day against the Dolphins," Hannah said. "Would I please accept his apology? That's the only time that's happened to me in all my years of officiating."

Hannah then was working a preseason game the next season between the Broncos and Seahawks in Seattle when he felt someone throw an arm around his shoulder.

"It's Peyton," Hannah said. "He asks me, 'Did you get my card?' I said, 'Peyton, you've got to let this go.' He says, 'You have no idea how upset I was with myself.' That's the kind of son Archie and Olivia raised. Pretty impressive."

Not so fast

Former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart didn't get off with just a warning when he was stopped on Interstate 88 in DeKalb, Ill., over the weekend.

He also got a photo of himself with a smiling state trooper -- who then tweeted it out.

"Just pulled over NASCAR legend Tony Stewart on I-88 in Dekalb IL, what you think I got him for?" Trooper Damein Cunningham wrote in the tweet.

Not what you might think.

"He was not stopped for speeding," state police spokesman Jason Bradley clarified.

Stewart was pulled over by Cunningham for improper lane usage and was given a warning, according to Bradley, who said the state police are reviewing the trooper's Twitter post.

"The ISP is currently looking into the posting of the photograph," he said. The tweet has since been deleted.

The photo appears to have been a selfie taken by Stewart, a retired three-time NASCAR champion with 49 victories. The trooper is leaning into the car, and both he and Stewart are smiling.

Sports quiz

In 2007, SI.com named Cortez Kennedy as the best athlete to wear this number?

Sports answer

96

Sports on 05/24/2017

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