Peyton Manning's failed prank attempt once left coach Billy Fitzgerald naked in locker room - "Almost got us killed"

Peyton Manning is, without a doubt, one of the most consummate players in the history of American football. Nicknamed "The Sheriff," he won two Super Bowl titles and five MVP awards in eighteen seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.

He was well-known for his passion and determination on the field, but off it, he was one of the sport's most humorous and devious pranksters. His high school coach Billy Fitzgerald once got to experience this personally.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2021, Nate Stibbs (one of Manning's baseball teammates at his New Orleans high school of Isidore Newman) recalled an incident when Manning planned a sly swap to his coach's towel.

Isidore Newman was on the road at the time for a semifinal matchup, and since they were staying at a motel, they had to bring their own towels. Manning brought a full towel for himself, but only a washcloth for Stibbs.

The team lost the game after blowing a lead, angering Fitzgerald. During shower time, Stibbs replaced his washcloth with a freshman's towel. Fitzgerald ended up getting the washcloth and got even angrier:

“I remember looking over at Peyton sitting in the corner, and he was just hunkered down,” Stibbs said. “He wouldn’t look at anybody. And I remember thinking, ‘You almost got us killed because of your little prank.’"

Manning's defense was simple - he did not do it:

“That was on Stibbs. I was simply pulling a prank on my friend. It should not have gotten to the head coach. So that’s all on Stibbs. I’m not taking the heat for that one.”

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When else did Peyton Manning show his humorous side?

The towel swap would not be the only time Manning would prove that he was more than a consummate quarterback.

Ahead of his statue reveal and jersey retirement in 2017, ESPN interviewed a few people who were very close to Manning, including his teammates and coach.

Three of them - center Jeff Saturday, kicker Adam Vinatieri, and former head coach Tony Dungy - called him the "king of pranks" and each recalled a prank of his.

Saturday recalled Manning switching his and a fellow offensive lineman's pants before a flight:

"I go to a suit place and get some pants and a jacket. I got it tailored and everything... Saturday, we had walk-through and then we were going to drive to the airport, but we would all go to lunch at Chili's before the flight. I shower after practice, and I put my pants on and they are tight. I mean tight. They're long and they're tight.

"[Offensive lineman] Adam Meadows goes down there and gets dressed and his pants were all short. I don't think anything of it. I'm more worried about flying with these supertight pants. I'm thinking they're going to rip. The guys are cracking jokes on me. We go to Chili's. We're sitting down and the guys are all laughing. Then it dawns on me, he switched the pants on me and Meadows."

Vinatieri, meanwhile, recalled Manning flooding a linebacker's room:

"We were at training camp one year and [former linebacker] Pat Angerer was here still. Peyton filled like a 50-gallon trash can with water and propped it up against his door and knocked on his door. Then a tidal wave of water went crashing into his room."

Even Dungy was not safe, as he found out when he attempted to convince Manning that the President of the United States was calling them (before their Super Bowl celebratory meeting):

"We were riding to the press conference Monday morning after winning the Super Bowl [in 2006-07]. We're in the car and I had been alerted that the president, George W. Bush, was going to call and give us a congratulations.

"My phone rang and it was a private number. I picked it up and it was the president. He asked if Peyton was beside me. Peyton was on another call... I told Peyton he needed to take this call and he was like, ‘Can't you see I'm on the phone.' I kept being persistent and telling him he needed to take the call. He's making faces at me and finally I handed him the phone... When he finally realized it was the president, we both busted out laughing."

It seems quite unlikely that the NFL legend has lost his mischievous side with age, and will continue to torment his peers for a long time.