Arch Manning carries the weight of his family’s legacy every time he steps on the gridiron. On the plus side, he has the support of two generations on how to play the positions. However, when it comes to the off-field stuff, the learning should come from his own experiences, according to Eli Manning.
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Speaking to Front Office Sports on Sept. 22, Eli said he had not reached out to Arch after the Holly Rowe controversy. He had contacted him after the Ohio State win, but that conversation was mostly about football.
“He’ll have to figure out that media on his own,” Eli Manning said. “A lot of it is just kind of growing pains. You feel like they’re your pal. You relax with them a little bit. You try to be funny, and then they can take it and run.”
The ‘mistake’ itself came after Texas’ 24-23 comeback against Ohio State on Sept. 12. Steve Sarkisian had a tense postgame interaction with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe and did not stay for the full interview.
An AI-generated clip later appeared online showing a fake version of Sarkisian slapping Rowe. The video was fabricated, brought up during the Monday press conference, and Arch laughed while describing it as “hilarious.”
Several people in the room laughed along. The clip spread quickly. Many journalists and prominent personalities targeted Manning for his interview comments. In no time, Arch apologized.
He said there was nothing funny about the video and acknowledged that his words had hurt people. Rowe responded that she and Arch had spoken privately and accepted his apology. She said they would move forward with “respect and kindness for one another.”
That resolution matters to Eli’s point. There was no need for him to become the family’s media spokesman or call ESPN to smooth things over. Arch had already made the mistake. He also had to own the apology.
Eli knows what it is like to have microphones around him every week. Now he is part of the media himself through the ManningCast, the ESPN alternate Monday Night Football broadcast he hosts with Peyton Manning.
The role has put him on both sides of the sports-media relationship. So, Eli’s elaborate warning is less about avoiding reporters than understanding the room.
“You just gotta be careful,” Eli said in his interview with FOS. “You got to find your moments where you can. Hey, you can be funny, you can be relaxed, but there’s certain things that you just got to learn and deal with it.”
That is probably the most useful part of his advice for Arch Manning from his uncle. The Texas QB1 is only 22, but he is not operating like an ordinary college player. He is one of the most recognizable players in the sport.
Texas is now No. 1 after the Ohio State win, and Arch’s face is everywhere. His comments are recorded, clipped, and reposted within minutes. A joke that might disappear in a locker room can become the headline of the next day’s news cycle. And guess what? He has started being cautious now. Almost too much, it seems.
Arch Manning already seems restrained in his media conversations
After the controversy, Arch Manning’s media sessions have become much shorter and more restrained. He answered 24 questions in roughly 90 seconds during a Monday media availability. Of course, Arch will learn how to handle the media with time.
That lesson is especially relevant because the person at the center of the controversy was Rowe, one of ESPN’s most established reporters and someone who remains part of Texas’ television coverage.
She is scheduled to work the Longhorns’ SEC opener at Tennessee this weekend. So Arch Manning does not get to simply move on by avoiding the subject. He has to keep seeing the same people, answer questions, and play football.
Along with it, though, he has to carry a much bigger spotlight than he had before. In all, Arch’s response was avoidable, yet the bigger question is about the cackling reporters in the room and people who posed the same question to the 22-year-old.