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Peyton Manning isn't heading to the broadcast booth or the front office anytime soon.

"I'm unemployed. I've got a couple of ads in the paper [url=http://www.broncoscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-royce-freeman-jersey]Authentic Royce Freeman Jersey[/url] ," Manning joked Wednesday night at his Colorado Sports Hall of Fame induction, which came on the 20th anniversary of his selection as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft.

Manning spent 14 seasons in Indianapolis and four in Denver, then retired after becoming the first quarterback to win Super Bowl rings with two teams.

He said he's enjoying retirement but keeps close tabs on the NFL, attending several games over the last couple of years in Denver, where he and his wife continue to raise their two young children.

"I stay close to it," said Manning, who retired a month after winning Super Bowl 50. "I'm certainly a fan, an ambassador, do some work with Riddell helmets, which keeps me close to it [url=http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com/authentic-jason-mccourty-jersey]Patriots Jason McCourty Jersey[/url] , and I still have a lot of friends in the league. Obviously I keep up with Eli."

Manning also said he's a big fan of Denver's new quarterback, Case Keenum , a Manning Passing Academy alum and sixth-year pro who signed with the Broncos after leading the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC championship last season.

The two plan to get together on the golf course soon so that Keenum can pick Manning's brain about playing in Denver, where the Broncos have gone 14-18 and missed the playoffs in the two seasons since the five-time MVP's retirement.

"I know what it's like to change teams," Manning said. "There's expectations. There's pressure. And there's a lot of adjusting."

The Broncos went 55-17 with two Super Bowl appearances and one parade in Manning's four seasons in Denver, the best four-year stretch in franchise history.

He'll be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

Leave it to Terrell Owens to choose to become the first person to celebrate being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame somewhere other than at the Canton, Ohio shrine.

The receiver who provided so many exhilarating and exasperating moments during one of the NFL's most prolific careers is about 600 miles away from Canton this weekend. Hours before the other inductees are honored, Owens will give his own acceptance speech at Chattanooga , where he played college football and basketball and ran track.

Owens announced on Twitter in June that, while "incredibly appreciative [url=http://www.chicagowhitesoxteamshop.com/authentic-welington-castillo-jersey]Authentic Welington Castillo Jersey[/url] ," he wouldn't attend the induction ceremony. Owens never shared his reasons for staying away. Less than a month later, Owens again used social media to say he'd hold his own induction ceremony in Chattanooga.

"Getcha popcorn ready!" wrote the man who once celebrated a touchdown with popcorn.

Owens said Friday in Chattanooga there's a "flaw in that system" about how Hall of Famers are selected and he wanted to "make a stand" for future candidates. Owens, who wasn't selected to the Hall of Fame until his third year of eligibility, noted how grateful he was to accept this honor "right here where it all began."

He's been quite chatty on social media in the weeks leading up to his induction. Owens tweeted that he "wouldn't have a PRO career if it wasn't for Chattanooga #THISISFORYOU." When asked why he's bypassing the Canton ceremony, Owens tweeted that "I don't need to be on their stage to do it. I'll be fine & im sure they will be too."

Chattanooga remains a place where Owens is loved for what he accomplished well before becoming an NFL star. Owens had 2,320 career yards receiving in college and also played basketball on two NCAA Tournament teams before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft.

In the NFL, Owens strung together numerous antics 鈥?posing on the Dallas Cowboys' star logo at midfield, engaging in sideline tirades 鈥?with five teams over 15 seasons. But his college coaches marveled at his work ethic and considered him fun to coach.

"First guy (on the field), last guy off," former Chattanooga football coach Buddy Green said. "He worked hard [url=http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-will-hernandez-jersey]Giants Will Hernandez Jersey[/url] , man. He tried to get better every practice. You'd put him on a special team, and he was the first guy down the field. He just loved to play the game. He was great to coach. He worked as hard as anybody on the field, even harder probably."

Mack McCarthy coached Chattanooga basketball during Owens' years on campus and remembers a guy who could come off the bench and defend at any position.

"He could not have been a better teammate," McCarthy said. "He couldn't have been better to coach."

Owens has a busy weekend planned for his return to campus.

He spoke to Chattanooga's current student-athletes Friday morning and also took 35 area youths on a shopping spree . Athletic director Mark Wharton said the school will have a private dinner for him Friday night and estimates about 2,000 people will gather at McKenzie Arena for Owens' induction speech Saturday afternoon.

Plans to celebrate Owens' Hall of Fame career in Chattanooga had been in the works since March. That's when Wharton attended Owens' induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and heard some of the receiver's stories from his college days for over an hour.

"From there, his team started saying fairly immediately that he wanted to do something in Chattanooga round the Hall of Fame," Wharton said. "I assumed 鈥?we all assumed (since) nobody's not gone to Canton 鈥?we assumed and started planning for the weekend before. Then in May or so, Terrell notified all of us his desires to have it here."

Owens' decision to avoid Canton has been called a mistake by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Owens' former boss who was inducted into the Hall of Famer last year. Several former players and Hall of Famers also have criticized Owens.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame still will honor Owens as part of the weekend festivities. Owens, who ranks second in NFL history in career yards receiving (15 [url=http://www.49erscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-fred-warner-jersey]Cheap Fred Warner Jersey[/url] ,934) and third in touchdown catches (153) , will be part of the 2018 class exhibit with his picture on a light standard at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and his own glass locker.

Hall of Fame President David Baker called Owens' decision unprecedented and disappointing .

"We respect he has strong feelings of his own and I respect his right to make that decision," Baker said. "I invited him to the hall, even at the last moment he would be welcomed, and he is welcomed every day the rest of his life. Even though he is not here, we will honor him to the best of our ability."

Owens has never wavered. He retweeted someone who noted any message he provides in his induction speech would be heard by many more people in Canton rather than Chattanooga.

"This choice wasn't made for the millions," Owens replied via Twitter . "It was made for the ones that matter."

AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this report.

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