The Denver Broncos (the Super Bowl 50 championship team) and retired quarterback Peyton Manning visited the White House on Monday. As per tradition, President Barack Obama commended and celebrated with the organization on their victory. President Obama, an avid sports fan, made a few light-hearted jokes at the players’ expense but also took a moment to thank the franchise for the part they played in his journey to the White House. “Thanks for letting me borrow it a little bit,” Obama quipped when referring to the Mile High Stadium in Denver where he delivered his Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech back in 2008. “I have a feeling it is a little louder there when Von sacks Tom Brady, but it was pretty loud.” On a more serious note, the Broncos players met with veterans prior to the ceremony as a part of the Wounded Warriors program and President Obama reminded everyone that, “as much fun as this [football] is, it only happens because of the extraordinary sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.”
In the midst of all of the celebration, one individual was missing from the festivities. Texans new quarterback, Brock Osweiler, who as a member of the Superbowl winning team earned himself the trip to the White House. So what was he doing instead of rubbing elbows with the President of the United States? He was practicing. Talk about dedication. He didn’t skip out on the event as any sort of political stance. He addressed that at a press conference when he expressed his desire to go. “If there was no OTA today, I would have gone to the White House. It would have been a tremendous experience.” Spoken like a true leader, he felt his time would be better served attending a “voluntary” OTA practice. “We only have 10 OTA practices, plus minicamp,” he told reporters. “It’s really not that many days. And whenever you’re learning a new system, every single one of those days is very precious. Every single rep, every single meeting….So, obviously, the Broncos being at the White House was a very special deal. I’m sure all of those guys had a good time and it was well-deserved. But this is where I needed to be. I have a lot to learn in this system.”