Washington Gov. Jay Inslee didn’t expect to bump into Denver Bronco quarterback Peyton Manning following the Super Bowl.
So when he did in a hallway at MetLife Stadium following the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 victory, the governor thought why not offer the Denver star a few encouraging words.
“He’s all alone. There was no entourage around him,” Inslee told members of the Association of Washington Business at a luncheon Thursday. “I wish I had a camera. It was like the picture of defeat you know — head down, slow. I felt bad for the guy.
“He gave it his all and he’s obviously a tremendous competitor, and I’ve lost a few in my life, too,” said Inslee, a football and basketball player in his youth. “So I just went up to him and introduced myself as the governor of the state of Washington and I shook his hand. And I said ‘I know this is a really tough game for you, but you know it’s a game and there will be others and hang in there’ because I kind of wanted to console him.
“He looked down at me like he was going to break me in half,” Inslee said. “And said sort of like ‘whatever, dude’ and he walked away. My therapy didn’t work too well.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.