Peyton Manning's squeaky clean résumé has a stain — rendered as indistinct as a watermark, hidden beneath layers of corporate-sponsored stamps and a convenient narrative written in ink.
That stain is somehow both well-known and best-kept secret. The last few weeks saw sports scribes parse and pick apart Cam Newton's personality. And the last few weeks saw a series of hagiographic, genuflecting tributes written about Manning — the man seemingly leaving the game on his white horse and his high horse; the man of character, charisma and commercial contracts; the man other men should aspire to be.
And all the while, the story of sexual assault allegations against Manning at Tennessee slipped, conveniently, beneath the bluster.