Peyton Manning once attempted to apologize to a ref after cussing him out, but the NFL refused to give him the address

• Peyton Manning says he once cussed out a referee so bad he attempted to send an apology letter.
• Manning's plan was foiled when the NFL refused to give him the referee's address.
• Manning shared the story during he and brother Eli's inaugural "Monday Night Football" broadcast.

Peyton Manning offered a years-late apology to a referee he once cursed out over a holding penalty in the middle of a game.

Manning's apology came during the inaugural "Monday Night Football" simulcast featuring Manning and Eli Manning on ESPN2.

The broadcast was loose, closer to a podcast than a traditional nationally televised football game, and Manning used the extra room to tell stories.

"I remember one time I just laid into a referee," Manning said. "I knew the guy; he was a good guy. He called the worst holding call. I let him have it. I felt so bad I asked the NFL for his address after the game. I was going to write him an apology letter.

"They wouldn't give me his address, as if I was going to go and like, egg his house or something. I was like, 'I'm just going to write him an apology letter!' Nobody writes the referees an apology letter."

While it was a funny anecdote to share on the broadcast, it was also clearly a thing that has been on Manning's mind for some time.

"Anyway, the guy thinks I'm a jerk to this day because I cussed him out for a holding call against the Dolphins in the second quarter."

While the referee in question never got his apology letter, maybe there's a chance he was watching Manning on Monday night.

It's never too late to say you're sorry.