Philip Rivers says Eli Manning being benched by Giants is ‘pathetic’

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, left, shakes hands with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Julie Jacobson/AP)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has weighed in on the benching of Eli Manning by the New York Giants, telling reporters on Wednesday he “honestly thought it was pathetic.”

The 2-9 Giants announced on Tuesday afternoon that Manning would be benched in favour of Geno Smith, halting the former’s streak of 210 consecutive starts and effectively ending his 13-year career with the team.

The last time Eli Manning didn't start for the #Giants (November of 2004) the world was a very different place.

A post shared by Sportsnet (@sportsnet) on

Manning and Rivers will be forever linked, as the two were involved in a draft-day trade in 2004 when Manning was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Chargers and then dealt to the Giants in exchange for Rivers, who was taken fourth by New York.

Ironically, Manning’s benching means Rivers will become the owner of the NFL’s longest active consecutive starts streak, which will climb to 188 this week.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.