Et Tu Peyton?

Remember when Peyton Manning told men to just buy a bigger shirt?  Or he stood in the grocery store yelling D-Fense as the guy stocked the bread?  Or my favorite, when he stayed an extra day in all the towns where he'd just defeated the local football team and acted like he didn't notice the hotel staff hating on him?  All classic Peyton Manning.

This morning on ESPN and in other news outlets, the latest story on Peyton is that he's not that nice guy we were all so happy won the Super Bowl.  Maybe not all of us.  There's at least one person out there who has a very negative opinion of Peyton Manning.  In other related news, Peyton has also been accused of using performance enhancing drugs.

From Bill Clinton, to Bill Cosby, to Lance Armstrong I was initially very sure that none of these guys could have done what they were accused of.  They had though.  I initially viewed Lance as just a fierce competitor.  It's because of him that I was such a huge Tour de France fan and ultimately fan of cycling.  Turns out he has a heinous personality and did some vicious things to his enemies.

I watched "Fat Albert" every Saturday when I was a kid, was a fan of "I Spy" reruns and watched "The Cosby Show" faithfully each week.  How could Bill Cosby who talked about the kids every Saturday morning and sold us Jell-O pudding be the guy he's turned out to be?  He is though.  He's an insidious criminal and like Lance went out of his way to destroy lives and livelihoods.

We as a society allow these men, almost all men, a persona that makes us think it's impossible that they could be anything but what the persona says.  I remember reading about what some of the Midshipmen did to the first women admitted to the Naval Academy.  What they did was not honorable and I thought to myself "Who is raising these men that they think this is okay?"

What is coming to light these days is that we have a Man problem.  For too long we've allowed them to think that their position in life granted them immunity when they treated the rest of us as less than people.  Whether they are professional athletes, famous comedians, politicians and even law enforcement, it's time to stop this train.

It would be great if I could give Peyton Manning the benefit of the doubt.  I'm jaded now though - I know that the pedestals we've put these guys on are cracked at the foundation.  I suspect that Peyton is guilty of everything he's been accused of.  I'm sad and disappointed that he is now on the pile of shame with the others.