A key aspect of the Denver Broncos’ courtship of Peyton Manning was the ability to keep the media at a distance while he met with team officials.
Sports Illustrated‘s Peter King reports that part of the Broncos’ strategy for avoiding media attention during Manning’s free agent visit to Denver last month was deploying a fleet of decoy vehicles when the star quarterback was on the move:
The Broncos had planned to host a dinner for Manning that Friday night, but how to do it quietly? To dodge the media, staffers prepared seven vehicles to leave the complex at the same time.
A news crew from Fox affiliate KDVR-TV followed the van that had transported Manning from the airport. When it reached a seafood place, the crew went in and asked a Broncos employee, “Where’s Manning?” Not here. He’d slipped into a black SUV with tinted windows, which had taken him to Cherry Hills Country Club. There he was ready to hear Elway’s sales pitch.
[Sports Illustrated]