Eli Manning no longer pursuing Giants ownership stake, cites conflict of interest as factor

After expressing interest in acquiring a minority stake in the New York Giants, Eli Manning is reversing course. He told CNBC he is no longer pursuing part ownership of the franchise.

Manning cited multiple factors during the interview, including the amount it could cost and potential conflicts of interest with his broadcast jobs. Bloomberg reported up to 10% of the Giants is for sale, although that figure could be divided up among multiple investors.

That’s where Manning – one of the franchise’s great quarterbacks – came into play as Bloomberg reported he was expected to put together a bid. But as he weighed his options, he found the number grew a little higher than he’d like.

“Basically, it’s too expensive for me,” Manning told CNBC. “A 1% stake valued at $10 billion turns into a very big number.”

Manning embarked on multiple business ventures after retiring in 2019, becoming a part-owner of Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the New York Golf Club in TGL. He also went into broadcasting and notably participates in the ManningCast broadcasts with his brother Peyton and his company, Omaha Productions. He also records “Eli’s Places” for the company and coaches the Pro Bowl alongside his brother.

If Eli Manning acquired a minority stake in the Giants, the sense was it could create a conflict of interest similar to the one seen with Tom Brady, who’s a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Manning cited that as a factor and ultimately is no longer looking to land stake in the franchise with which he won two Super Bowls.

“I wouldn’t be able to talk to players that I coached in the Pro Bowl,” Manning said. “It was going to affect my day job.”

Brady acquired a 10% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders last season, which created conversation about his role as a color analyst for FOX Sports alongside lead play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhardt. Per NFL rules, Brady cannot attend production meetings or practices for FOX due to his role as a team owner.

If Manning was to become part-owner of a team, he told CNBC in January there would only be one option. He’d want to be part of the Giants’ ownership group.

“It’s definitely something of interest,” Manning told CNBC at the time. “There’s probably only one team I’d be interested in pursuing, and it’s the one I played for for 16 years, and it’s local, and makes the most sense, but we just got to figure out if they would ever sell a little bit.”