Manning chooses not to air-it-out at Hall of Fame banquet

Manning, a former University of Tennessee star and six-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts, was the featured speaker at the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame banquet. WNML had planned to air the entire ceremony, including Manning's speech.

The Sports Animal program director, Mickey Dearstone, decided to cancel the live coverage and replace it with a broadcast of the Tennessee Smokies baseball game.

"We didn't carry the event, because that (Manning's speech) was the biggest part of the event,'' Dearstone explained. "If you lose the biggest part of what you're carrying, and it's in the middle of the program, it would have sounded really strange.''

Manning said that had he been aware of the radio station's plan to broadcast his speech live earlier in the week, he would have explained his personal policy and philosophy.

"My dad (former Ole Miss and New Orleans quarterback legend Archie) once told me, 'don't let anyone ever record your speeches,' '' Manning told the News Sentinel on Saturday. "And I wasn't aware they were planning to go live until right before the program.''

Dearstone, whose station had promoted its coverage of the event, said he was under the impression Manning's public relations associates had been informed the speech would be carried live on the station, which can be heard in the Carolinas, Georgia and Kentucky. The broadcast also goes over the Internet.

Manning said he was concerned that a couple of his stories could be misinterpreted or used to motivate future UT opponents.

"I'd catered what I call my 'war stories' to the crowd at the banquet,'' Manning said. "I took a jab or two at Florida State University, an inside joke that was a recruiting story.''

There also was a story about his older brother, Cooper, that involved another SEC school that could have, in a roundabout way, provided bulletin board material or insulted teammates or opponents.

"So one by one, I'm eliminating things from my speech,'' Manning said. "I can't give my normal speech, and I felt obligated to do that because all I heard about was how much money they were raising ($180,000) and it was the biggest crowd (1,600) of all-time.

"Whenever I do a speech, I take it very seriously and I do the best possible job I can for that crowd. I treat it like a football game.'

"You do a speech, and it's up on the Internet. They can take out the part where you say 'just kidding.' "

While Manning declined to have his speech carried live, he did do 45 minutes of media interviews prior to the banquet with print, television and radio.

"Peyton just doesn't like to be surprised; he's so prepared and meticulous, and it was just a curve ball,'' said Bob Kesling, the voice of the Vols and the master of ceremonies for the event. "I don't know where to put the blame. It was just a misunderstanding, and we sided with Peyton.''

Manning, who will report to Colts preseason training camp today, recently made public-speaking appearances on behalf of the boys and girls clubs in Memphis and Nashville.

His Peyback Foundation has generated nearly $1.5 million for Boys and Girls clubs in Indiana, Tennessee and his hometown of New Orleans over the past seven years.

WNML also has been committed to the Boys and Girls Club, airing interviews with all the hall of fame inductees and providing free publicity to the event.

"We always carry the hall of fame induction ceremonies for the event, not just the speaker,'' Dearstone said. "We'll continue to do that because we think it's a worthwhile cause. We've always done that, and we'll continue to feel that way.

"I'm not laying the blame on anybody. We had promoted that we would carry (Manning) because we assumed it had been worked out. I'm sorry it didn't work out.''