Cooper Manning, Brother of Peyton, Eli, Opens Up in ESPN Documentary

Even though he is a successful energy trader in New Orleans with a net worth in the millions, Cooper Manning is often considered the forgotten Manning, the oldest brother of Super Bowl-winning siblings Peyton and Eli Manning.

But Cooper Manning got his shot in the spotlight on Tuesday in the documentary "The Book of Manning," which aired on ESPN. The documentary shows the Manning boys growing up under the tutelage of father and New Orleans Saints star Archie Manning, mostly through home movies and interviews, USA Today reports.

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Today, Cooper Manning is an executive at Weil Howard, an energy investment firm with offices in Houston and New Orleans, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com. He is married with three children of his own.

The eldest Manning sibling had a promising career as a high school wide receiver cut short his senior year when he was diagnosed with a life-threatening spinal condition that took him off the football field for good.

Cooper Manning opens up about essentially leaving the game cold turkey and living his passion for the sports through his brothers.

"Historically I haven’t really talked about that a lot," Cooper Manning said to USA Today about unfilled promises of collegiate and pro football stardom like his father and younger brothers. "(Filmmaker Rory Karpf) caught me on a weak day. We had talked for a long time during that interview session and he got to me a little bit. I’ve always tried to downplay the whole surgery and injury and just wanted to get back to normal. This was the one time I guess you got the full scoop."

Variety TV columnist Brian Lowry called Cooper Manning's story and his connection with Peyton one of the true "moving" moments of the documentary. Lowry, though, said the documentary at times comes off a little too sugary.

"Admittedly, the tone is a little too adoring, at times feeling like a promotional video for college football at a time when the game could clearly use some feel-good publicity," Lowry said in his Variety column Sunday. "Yet even with its flaws, there’s enough here and in the Mannings to make this 'Book' worth opening."

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