From SI's Don Banks:
The absolute most bizarre moment of my four-day stay in Indy came Friday night as I was walking along a fairly deserted stretch of one particular downtown street, headed for Jillian's sports bar and some dinner with friends. Head down in the freezing cold, I was passing a guy on the sidewalk and happened to glance up and meet his eye at the last instant: It was none other than Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.We exchanged somewhat hasty hellos without ever breaking stride, and then it struck me that there was Manning, the most recognizable player in the NFL, walking all alone on the streets of Indianapolis on a Friday night. No entourage. No car waiting to whisk him away. No Colts fans even aware that their hero was among them. Manning was wearing blue jeans, a fairly casual jacket, and no hat in the winter chill.
I couldn't help but think that Tom Brady likely can't just go out for a walk in Boston without attracting a mob scene, and the same is probably true for Donovan McNabb in Philly, and Drew Brees in New Orleans, too. But the good folks of Indy obviously allow Manning to move around town without requiring his own personal security detail. Which I think is pretty cool of all these well-mannered Hoosiers.
Reggie Miller used to walk around Indy and no one would bother him, the reason being that we "fat humps" kind of understand and value a person's private time. It's a crazy idea that has not yet made its way to Boston or Philly. I know several Colts fans that have seen Big P shopping at the mall, eating at a restaurant, or strolling around town. Rather than act like immature buttholes by running up to him and screaming "CUT THAT MEAT, PEYTON!" they do the normal thing: They leave him alone.