Five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning recently surprised Denver Nuggets players with an hour-long Zoom call ahead of the NBA season restart. The retired quarterback — who played his final four seasons with the Denver Broncos — is known for his quips and sense of humor, and trolled the Los Angeles Chargers with an attendance joke during the Zoom call.
With the NBA preparing to play in empty arenas in the Orlando bubble, one Nuggets player asked Manning what it’s like to play games without fans in attendance.
According to Nuggets big man Mason Plumlee, Manning responded, “I’m just not the one answer that question. You’d probably have to ask somebody with the Chargers or one of these other teams.”
Via The Denver Post:
Another player asked Manning for suggestions on playing in an arena with no fans, as the Nuggets are set to do in Orlando.
“He was like, ‘I’m just not the one to answer that question,’” Plumlee recalled. “’You’d probably have to ask somebody with the Chargers or one of these other teams.’ …
That’s one hell of a burn.
The Chargers have had well-documented issues with attendance and fan support after owner Dean Spanos moved the organization from San Diego in 2017. They have even had to cover up empty sections of the stadium, which is a soccer stadium — now called Dignity Health Sports Park — that only has a capacity of roughly 30,000 people.
Maybe the attendance eventually improves — but not in 2020, of course — with the Chargers’ fancy new home, SoFI Stadium (which will be shared with the Rams). But for now, jokes like Manning’s hold up very well and just add on to the embarrassment for Spanos since the move.
