Eli Manning has spent his life in living in others' shadows. First he was Archie's kid. Then he was Peyton's baby bro. His last name might have belonged to others, but that first name was always his. There was only one Eli that people cared about (apologies to Roth and Whitney). The name belonged to him.
Eli Manning has a new teammate named Eli, so he’s open to going by his real name: Elisha
Eli Manning doesn’t seem phased about sharing his first name with the Giants’ No. 10 draft pick, cornerback Eli Apple.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Then the Giants had to go and mess everything up for him in the draft. Big Blue selected Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple No. 10 overall. Of course, being the wily veteran that he is, surely Manning plans on calling dibs on his first name and assigning Apple a moniker like Pinto or Flounder. At least one would think...
"Call me Elisha" -Eli Manning pic.twitter.com/mpYcFUMqA2
— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) May 10, 2016
Yes, Eli’s actual first name is Elisha. His full legal name is Elisha Nelson Manning, so switching it up and going by Nelson is also an option. Perhaps he could also go by this flattering nickname, Eli Man Penguin Boy, which came to Manning courtesy of closed captioning.
That pass was not a good decision by Eli Man Penguin Boy. #NYGvsWAS @BillSimmons @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/5HML36YRQ3
— Michael Beatrice (@MichaelBeatrice) November 29, 2015
But why is Manning so willing to give up his name for a rookie? Our best guess? He’s probably scared of Eli Apple’s mom, Annie, and rightfully so. Mrs. Apple isn’t shy about speaking her mind.
Eli Manning and Eli Apple share the same first name, but Manning’s mom isn’t quite as well known in social media circles as Apple’s mom. Manning joked that he was signing his mom up for Twitter so she could get on Annie Apple’s level. Annie Apple approved.
That's awesome! I love Mama Manning! Her uterus should be in the NFL Hall of Fame. She rocks! https://t.co/FLuqEn13PD
— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) May 10, 2016
To avoid confusion on the practice field, it probably makes more sense for the Giants to assign a nickname to the rookie as opposed to forcing a veteran quarterback with two Super Bowl rings to go by a different name. Manning said perhaps they could call Eli Apple E.A. or just Apple.
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