Peyton and Eli Manning’s father Archie joins the fun in rap video

You have probably seen the video by now, Peyton and Eli Manning wearing ridiculous wigs and absurd outfits in a very funny commercial for DirecTV. It’s called “Football on Your Phone,” and it’s a “Saturday Night Live”-style spoof of a rap song, with the brothers making their way around their hometown of New Orleans and touting the ability to watch NFL games on their mobile phones.

The hands-down funniest part of the video is when their father, Archie, makes a cameo, sitting on his throne while wearing a coiffed blond wig and a glittering jumpsuit.

“I didn’t know what my part was, I just did what they told me to do,” Archie said by phone Wednesday, chuckling. “We had a lot of laughs. When I got there, I was told I was going to be Neil Diamond. I just said, ‘Whatever.’ I didn’t really like the wig that much, but I’m a team player.”

Peyton and Archie have had a 16-year business relationship with DirecTV, and Eli has worked with the company for 10 years. The brothers came in early for the annual Manning Passing Academy, and the video was shot in one day.

“We had fun,” Eli said. “Peyton and I had fun doing the skit, and obviously it got a lot of laughs together -- just every time we kind of looked at each other and wondered what we were doing. We got some laughs, so it was a fun day.”

I’ve been on a “Got Milk” shoot with Archie, Peyton and Eli, and the three approach those shoots as if they’re preparing for games, with a no-nonsense, businesslike sense of purpose. Peyton, in particular, is meticulously prepared, makes sure he doesn’t mess up his lines, and expects the same of others.

“If you’re going to do a commercial with Peyton, you need to prepare beforehand and be ready,” Archie said. “Everybody needs to come prepared to work. That’s the way it ought to be.”

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