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The Love Keeps Pouring In: Eli Says Jeter Has Been 'A Good Role Model' For Him

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Giants quarterback Eli Manning have a lot in common.

Both athletes have championship pedigrees, both are loved by their respective fan bases and both are clean-cut stars who stay out of trouble.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP has looked up to Jeter for years.

"He's been a good role model and we've kept up with each other a little bit," the two-time Super Bowl MVP told the New York Daily News on Monday. "On and off the field, what he's been able to do as a player and the way he's respected and the way he's gone about his business — for a young player in New York, he's a good role model."

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Big Blue's signal-caller, of course, is not a "young player." But the 33-year-old vividly remembers what it was like to be a rookie under the bright spotlights of New York.

And he also remembers what Jeter, 40, did for him when the going got tough.

In 2004, in the midst of a six-game losing streak during his first season in the NFL, Manning received a call from Jeter -- who already had four World Series to his name.

"He was supportive of me," Manning told the newspaper. "We had lost a few games and he was trying to get a feel for things. He said to keep grinding, keep working."

Jeter, playing in his final season, is looking for one more championship before he hangs them up and calls it a Hall of Fame career. Manning, on the other hand, has his sights set on returning to the playoffs after arguably the worst statistical season of his career.

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