Peyton Manning To Broncos: Denver Fan Jim Driver Died, 'Wanted Out Before A Deal,' Obituary Says

On Monday, James H. Driver of Eagle, Colo., passed away after a brief illness. He was 78.

And on Tuesday, Peyton Manning officially signed a $96 million agreement to join the Denver Broncos for a five-year contract.

The two events may seem unrelated. But for Driver's family and friends, the timing of the major football deal offers some small consolation. Driver loved the Broncos and detested Manning; according to his obituary in the Columbia Daily Tribune, he evidently wanted out before a deal was done.

Driver, a Navy veteran who went on to work as an air traffic controller in Denver, never had to see the day his favorite team's lineup was sullied by his least-favorite quarterback.

Driver is survived by his brother, two daughters and two grandchildren. In May, a service will be held at Driver's favorite spot: the Yeoman Park Campground, a scenic wooded area high up in the Sawatch Mountains, which lies halfway between Denver and Grand Junction.

In Driver's honor, here are some of the best Peyton Manning digs from like-minded football fans.

From K.C. Joyner of the New York Times:

Manning's ubiquitous endorsement presence can be irritating. It can make him come across as being self-absorbed and mercenary, no matter how cute the commercials themselves are.

From Jerry Thornton of Barstool Sports:

When, in the blizzard of high passing ratings he's put up over the last decade, did America decide we like the guy? When did we lose our way and let this doofus win our love and affection? Because there was a time not too long ago when we as a country saw him for what he is: a child of privilege. A celebrity's kid who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth (which was hard on his mother ... sorry), and who had everything handed to him his whole life.

From the IHatePeytonManning Wordpress blog:

I hate the way he plays football. I hate the way shuffles his feet in the pocket like a rooster walking on a bed of nails. I hate that he runs like a giraffe that's been afflicted with the gout. I hate the way he wears his shoulder pads. I hate his number. I hate that he looks as though he ran into a brick wall and his face just stayed that way.

From Jerry Parker of the Virginia Law Weekly:

I simply can't stand the fact that I can't even turn on 'The View' in the morning without seeing his mustachioed face pushing cell phones (and touting his own quarterbacking virtues), offering homemade bruschetta to his DirecTV installation guy, or comforting a clumsy waitress in that insipid MasterCard ad. Seriously, is there a product on the planet that this guy won't sell?

And there you have it. Similar-minded Broncos fans may be livid about the deal to sign the much-maligned star quarterback, but at least Jim Driver will never have to hear the bad news.