INDIANAPOLIS — Last year, Peyton Manning received the ESPY Icon Award.
This year, he's hosting the whole dang show.
ESPN announced on Tuesday that the legendary Indianapolis Colts quarterback will be the host for the 25th ESPYS awards show, which is airing live on July 12 on ABC.
"It's an honor to be asked to host the ESPYS, and it's even more meaningful that it's the 25th year for this incredible event," Manning said in a statement, via ESPN. "The ESPYS have been a part of my life during my entire career. I can still remember attending my very first show back in 1998 before my rookie season in the NFL."
The hosting duties for The Sheriff will add yet another completely new role in Manning's post-retirement career. After riding off into the sunset with his second career Super Bowl title in 2015 with the Denver Broncos, Manning has expanded his horizons in the entertainment industry, going on stage as a featured roaster on "The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe;" making a guest appearance as "Coach Gary" on the popular ABC series "Modern Family;" and, of course, continuing his career as a popular — and hilarious — TV peddler of various goods and services.
Then, of course, was his extremely humorous ESPYS bit last year, "Letters From Peyton," in which those closest to Manning, as well as several other various famous athletes and celebrities, read "personal letters" from the former signal caller.
If Manning can find a way to mix that kind of humor with his standup act from his "Comedy Central Roast" appearance, then one might imagine this year's ESPYS won't be the last awards show he's asked to host.
Manning, by the way, will become just the fourth athlete to host the ESPYS in its 25-year history, joining Lance Armstrong (2006), LeBron James (who co-hosted with Jimmy Kimmel in 2007) and John Cena (2016).
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