Eli Manning credits Tom Coughlin for his charitable priorities
During Eli Manning’s career with the New York Giants and beyond, he’s always made giving back to the community a priority in life. Tom Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation has been a tremendous outlet for Manning and other former Giants to give back over the years.
In fact, Manning credits Coughlin for helping mold his charitable nature.
Earlier this week, Manning spoke to Giants Wire on behalf on Quaker and Feeding America. During that interview, Manning was asked about Coughlin and the Jay Fund.
“Coach Coughlin had a huge impact on me,” Manning said. “When I came to the Giants, I’m 23 years old. He was my coach for 12 years, you leave and you’re 35 years old — you have kids but now you’re a grown man. Having him as my head coach and also seeing his passion about helping others… And he can do that. He had the ability to focus on football and preparation and work, and also have this soft side and be able to express it.
“He made sure that was a priority for his players — giving back, being a part of the community and doing something to help others. And so, a big part of me and getting involved in different charitable initiatives is because I saw coach Coughlin and how passionate he was about helping others.
“Helping those families from the Jay Fund that are dealing with cancer and going through tough times and making sure they had the necessities to pay their bills, to get food. I think he’s had a huge influence and I still keep up with him regularly and talk to him. I still use him for guidance as a mentor.”
Coughlin’s guidance over Manning has allowed the two-time Super Bowl MVP to excel both on and off the field. Eli seems to always make his charity work a priority even with his extremely busy schedule.
Manning’s involvement in the ManningCast, as well as his shows Eli’s Places and The Eli Manning Show, and his involvement with the Giants have not deterred him from keeping up with the community work.
Manning has always been a class act over the years and his generosity off the field is an underrated and admirable aspect of his life.
