A Tribute to the Great Peter King

As I sat here for the last few days thinking about how to honor Peter King and his legacy, I've been struggling to put words down that could describe his character. You see, Peter is more than a top-tier sportswriter, persona, and amazing human being.

He's also my uncle.

Over the years Peter has been kind enough to hop on our podcast, not just because I'm his nephew (hell I wasn't even invited to be on the pod with him), but because he cares about the industry and helping it grow. I mean he REALLY CARES.

Over the past year or so the immediate family has known about his retirement and while it came as a shock, the following questions were obvious, what's next for Peter? While it's still up in the air, all he has been talking about is how to give back. If you have read Monday Morning Quarterback over the past 100 years or however long he's been writing it (sorry Football Morning in America, never got used to that), you know he asks his readers to contribute to causes he finds important, ones he contributes his time and effort to as well. In his last column, he talked about George Martin, who used to play for the Giants. Martin was dissatisfied with the lack of support for first responders after 9/11 and decided to walk from the George Washington Bridge to the Golden Gate to raise money. While Peter didn't make the entire journey with Martin, he did walk 18 miles with him to chat and raise awareness, in his efforts he was able to raise 300k from his readers for Martin's cause.

That's just the public side of Peter King, not many know about what he's like outside of the limelight.

If you ever met Peter, you would know immediately why he is/was the best in the biz. He truly captivates a room. Over the years I have seen him interview the likes of Tom Brady (I know boo), I've heard phone calls with players and other sports writers, and I've seen his interactions with fans and the average Joe on the streets of New York. Every conversation is the same. Peter has a way of pulling in whoever he is talking with, really listening to them, and figuring them out in a matter of minutes. No matter who he is speaking with they are engulfed in the world of King, and it's captivating. 

Last summer I married the love of my life in Austria, and Peter and his incredible wife Ann were in attendance. While my wife and I had the spotlight during the wedding, Peter was still able to captivate the rehearsal and after dinners with his debonair, even interviewing my now mother-in-law about the time she was on the Price is Right. It's crazy to think our families were in another country, enjoying the culture and scenery, and yet Peter King was still the main attraction. That's just the guy he is though, he's like the most interesting man in the world from those old Dos Equis commercials. The best part is how he does it, you don't even realize until you're engrossed in a story ten minutes later and just absolutely hanging on every word. It's never forced, it's never unwanted and I don't think I've ever left spending time with my uncle without wanting to hear more.

Peter will be missed over the next football season, not having his training camp tour will be weird. I will miss any insider scoop to pick up my late-round draft picks in fantasy football (not that he ever gave me a solid pick, seriously Uncle Pete, do better).

There will be a void in the football world without him, and I am sure there will be mentions and tributes to him on NBC, but I hope people also know and remember the man he was behind the sports.

I am proud to say that my Uncle Peter was, is, and will continue to be a hero of mine. The world is a better, more interesting place with Peter King, and no matter what the future holds, I know he will continue to inspire others to be great and help those in need. I look forward to cheers-ing you a Budweiser (seriously can't believe that's your new beer of choice) at the next Pirates game we go to.