David Letterman’s final episode of the “Late Show” featured several of the world’s great comics: Chris Rock, Tina Fey and Bill Murray were a few of the notables. Oh, and Peyton Manning, too.

The Broncos quarterback, who appeared on the show five times — the only late night talk show he’s ever gone on — was part of the final Top 10. His presence may have come as a surprise to some viewers, but in a first-person account, he explained to SI.com’s MMQB the relationship between him and Letterman. Andrew Luck figures in prominently.

The day of the 2012 NFL Draft, Manning was in Denver working out with the Broncos when he received a call from Letterman. They were going to have Luck on the show, and as a present, they wanted to present him with a Colts jersey.

“I don’t want to do it if it makes you uncomfortable at all,” promised Letterman, who was raised in Indianapolis.

Manning replied: “Dave, it doesn’t matter what I think. You do what you feel is best for the show.”

“That’s it! We’re not doing it. Forget it. It’s done.”

“That meant so much to me,” Manning recalled. “I didn’t give him an answer. It wasn’t my place to say anything. But the fact that he made that call, I can tell you this: If that were any other show, they sure wouldn’t have called to ask what I thought.”

Here is how Luck’s 2012 played out: