On Friday afternoon in East Rutherford, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning announced his retirement from professional football, ending a 16-year career that featured two Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVP Awards.
Slightly more than 24 hours later, everyone in New York City received a reminder of just how special Manning’s career really was as the Empire State Building lit up in red, white and blue as an homage to No. 10.
“We’re wishing Eli Manning the best of luck in his retirement with lights in blue, white, red and a #10 in our mast tonight! After 16 years with the Giants and winning TWO rings, he certainly deserves it!” the official ESB Twitter account read.
The Empire State Building regularly changes its lights to honor different events, teams and causes, but seeing them specifically honor one man with his number in lights is something we rarely see.
The decision to honor Manning in lights speaks to the value Eli has added to the city, to the community, to the country and to the world. More than just a champion athlete, Manning is a champion human being and deserves all the recognition he’s going to receive.
