Tom Brady's Father Emailed Archie Manning After Eli's Benching by Giants

Tom Brady Sr., the father of the New England Patriots quarterback, wrote Archie Manning an email of support following Eli's benching by the New York Giants.

"He wrote me a beautiful message about what Eli has meant to the Giants and to the league," Archie Manning told ESPN.com's Ian O'Connor on Sunday. "His email summed up the way Eli has carried himself during all of his years with the Giants and how that type of thing is important in our league at a time when maybe some of those things are breaking down. It was very meaningful to us."

Eli Manning's two Super Bowl victories with New York came at the expense of Brady and the Patriots, who were heavy favorites in both contests. Manning was benched this week in favor of Geno Smith, snapping a consecutive starts streak of 210—the second-longest for a quarterback in NFL history.

Tom Brady appeared on Westwood One Radio earlier this week and called Manning's benching an "unfortunate situation."

"I have nothing but the most respect for him and everything he's achieved and accomplished in his career," Brady said of Manning (h/t USA Today). "I just have so much respect for his dependability, for his consistency, for his toughness. You know that's really everything you want in an NFL player, and I think Eli has always provided that for the [Giants]."

The Giants' handling of Manning's benching has been roundly criticized. Smith is not seen as a quarterback of the future in New York, and Manning was far from atop the Giants' list of issues. He's thrown for 2,411 yards and 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions this season with his three top targets (Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard) out for much of the year.

Smith has never thrown for more than 13 touchdowns in an NFL season.