TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie ripped into "the liar Eli Manning" and the New York Giants during a radio appearance Friday morning, a day after a report revealed Manning turned over a possibly incriminating email in a lawsuit alleging he was involved in a fake sports memorabilia scheme.

"He got caught," Christie said of Manning, the Giants' quarterback, while guest-hosting the "Boomer & Carton" morning show on WFAN 660-AM in New York City.

The New Jersey governor also compared Manning to his older brother, legendary former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, who is usually considered the more accomplished of the two.

"Could you ever imagine Peyton being involved in this?" Christie asked. "No, definitely not. Peyton's smarter."

The New York Post reported Thursday that the email was included in a court filing in Bergen County Superior Court in a three-year-old civil racketeering lawsuit filed by three collectors against Manning, the Giants, the team's equipment manager, team co-owner John Mara, and memorabilia company Steiner Sports.

In the email, sent April 27, 2010, Manning asked Giants head equipment manager Joe Skiba for "two helmets that can pass as game used," according to the report.

Manning had been asked by his marketing agent, Alan Zucker, to produce equipment under a memorabilia contract he had with Steiner Sports.

One of the suit's plaintiffs said he paid $4,300 for a helmet said to be worn during the Giants' 2007 season that led to a Super Bowl victory. Now, the plaintiff claims, it's a "$4,000 paperweight."

A trial is set to begin Sept. 25.

Christie, a former U.S. attorney, said Friday that it's unlikely Manning would ever face criminal charges. But, he said, the issue "could affect the whole season."

"The Giants participated in this as well, so John Mara's going to have to open the checkbook," the governor said. "Now there's all kinds of ramifications for the Giants as a brand. Are they a lying cheating franchise?"

Christie -- who is famously a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, one of the Giants' rivals -- added that the Giants' involvement is "an open question."

"I'm not saying that John Mara knew," he said.

The Giants defended both Manning and the organization in a statement.

"The email, taken out of context, was shared with the media by an unscrupulous memorabilia dealer and his counsel who for years has been seeking to leverage a big payday," McCarter & English, the law firm representing the Giants in the matter, said. "The email predates any litigation, and there was no legal obligation to store it on the Giants server. Eli Manning is well known for his integrity and this is just the latest misguided attempt to defame his character."

Christie criticized that statement, likening it to a "politician's non-answer."

"The email was taken out of context? The context? It looks like it's a pretty complete back and forth," the governor said.

"And by the way, they presumably have possession of the emails," he added. "They represent Eli. So, if it's out of context, put it in context. Release the other things where Eli's like, 'Just joking.'"

"Give a good statement or shut up," Christie added about the statement.

Karen Kessler, a spokeswoman for McCarter & English, declined to comment on Christie's remarks when reached by NJ Advance Media on Friday.

Christie, a major sports fan, is a frequent guest on "Boomer & Carton" and is considered one of many possible replacements for WFAN's afternoon drive host Mike Francesa when he leaves his show at the end of the year.

Listen to the segment here: