Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, center, plays tag with students at Frederick Douglass School during a BOKS function Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Indianapolis. BOKS, which is a before school physical activity program, is in over 300 schools nation-wide. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Miami Dolphins' Brandon Marshall, left, Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, second left, and Atlanta Falcon's Roddy White run into greet a group of students at Frederick Douglass School 19 Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Indianapolis. The players participated in BOKS, that is school physical activity program backed by the Reebok Foundation(. AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Maybe, just maybe, the Colts and Peyton Manning are done stealing headlines during Super Bowl week.
They might save the real news for later.
The simmering spat between Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay bubbled up Thursday night, when Manning's surgeon sent out a statement saying the star quarterback had been cleared to play.
Irsay responded on Twitter in the wee hours before dawn Friday, declaring that: "Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for The Indianapolis Colts" -- a terse statement that suggested Manning might have yet worn out his welcome in Indianapolis.
Then for the second straight Friday, Irsay tried to patch things up.
"Peyton Manning, Jim Irsay and the entire Colts family remain close and unified as we continue to work through all the options that relate to his future with the Colts," the owner said in a statement that included a color photo from Irsay's party that was taking place at about the same time as the controversy erupted.
The photo shows Manning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Irsay, former Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, actress Meg Ryan and singer John Mellencamp. The controversy didn't stop Manning from visiting an inner-city school Friday. Manning did not take questions at the event.
Manning's agent, Tom Condon, told the NFL Network that the four-time league MVP would play in 2012, a point Manning made perfectly clear when he told reporters Tuesday that he did not plan to retire despite missing the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in 19 months.
But the wild swings in the league's most-watched drama have been an overarching theme throughout Indy's first Super Bowl week.
And the ongoing soap opera has actually upstaged both weeks of buildup to Sunday's game between the Giants and Patriots -- a matchup that pits Manning's brother, Eli, against Manning's archrival, Tom Brady.
Even Goodell was asked about it Friday.
"I'm not troubled by it at all," Goodell said. "I don't think it's been a distraction."
Really?
Manning's neck injury has seemed to make more news this week than his younger brother's quest to win his second Super Bowl ring, Brady's quest to win his fourth and even Rob Gronkowski's injured ankle, much less Madonna and the rest of the celebrities in town.
No. 18 jerseys are still a favorite around Indy, though a billboard on an highway reads "Peyton you're going the wrong way," a clever ad by a group in Tennessee that wants him to join the rival Titans.
Some Colts fans aren't ready to let Manning leave. They may not have a choice. He will turn 36 in late March and the team that just went 2-14 must decide whether to pay him a $28 million roster bonus on March 8 or let him become a free agent.
"It would be incredibly sad to see him go and I'd hate to be Irsay. I want him to stay," said Keith Harden, a 51-year-old Indy native who was wearing a Reggie Wayne jersey. "No, I don't think it's hurt his (Manning's) image. I think he's fighting to stay, and I like that."
Those close to Manning insist he is healthy and will be ready to play this fall.
"He is sound, he can take a hit, he can certainly play in a football game," Condon said. "How effective will he be? Probably not as effective as he would be in two to three months."
Irsay has repeatedly said the decision about Manning's future will be based on health, not money, and he has said he doesn't want to risk exposing Manning to a long-term injury.
Complicating matters is that the Colts hold the No. 1 overall draft pick and they are expected to select either Stanford's Andrew Luck or Baylor's Robert Griffin III as Manning's successor.
Having two high-paid quarterbacks wouldn't just be costly, it could stifle the rookie's growth. And Luck says he wants to play right away.
Despite Irsay's public statements, the big question is whether Manning is coming back..
The city's most powerful celebrity and the Colts' fun-loving owner engaged in a public spat last week when Manning complained about the dour atmosphere at the team complex following the ouster of coach Jim Caldwell and a host of assistants. Irsay responded by calling his quarterback a "politician," then tried to mend fences with a joint statement issued a week ago. The hope was that it wouldn't spill over into Super Bowl week.
Instead, the story only picked up steam in a tit-for-tat between the two.
On Monday, Irsay said he would not talk this week about Manning. The next day, Manning told reporters his recovery was on schedule and there was no plan to retire. The owner responded by saying he would wait until next month to make a decision about the bonus.
That was followed by Thursday's bizarre late-night fireworks and there's no telling when it might end.
While most players, coaches and visitors will depart Indianapolis on Monday, the questions about Manning and his future will continue to linger.
"Jimmy and Peyton have had a strong relationship for a really long time," Condon said. "They've been great friends besides the business relationship. But this is a tough time, there is potential that you could be separated from a team he's been a part of for a long time."
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Comments » 11
dvols writes:
tough luck Peyton, your neck is no good and the colts know it....go sign for twenty a million else where and have about two 8-8 seasons...
live happily ever after!
Pullingguard writes:
Age, Injury, equates to a future not filled with hope, so why would anyone give you 28 million... You have been great for Colts, but give someone else another year or two and go live on easy street...And coaching for the Vols is not easy street!!!!!
MidTennVol writes:
Okay, now I get it. This is about PM's "health" as of right now up until payday ($28 million bonus). I was willing to give Irsay the benefit of the doubt, even given his genes, but this is clearly now about Irsay trying to squirm out of paying that bonus.
PM gets his surgeon to release a statement saying he's ready to play. Irsay releases a statement saying "Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for The Indianapolis Colts."
I hope Condon smells this for what it is. No way will the team doctors clear PM to play for the Colts. No clearance from them = no bonus due.
There is no way Peyton will be wearing a Colts uniform next season.
If PM has right and the law on his side and Irsay tries to breach his contract and cheat him out of his bonus, then I hope PM locks his butt up in court for the next 10 years.
Something unpleasant seems to run in that Irsay family. I was living in D.C. when his father moved the Colts from B'more under cover of darkness and then announced it to the public after the team had gone. Unitas vomited, as did hundreds of thousands of Colts fans.
txsvol#372416 writes:
Methinks Irsay doth protest too much! The Colts are committed to a rebuilding program, and do not have $36 million to commit to Peyton while his C-7 nerve regenerates so that his strength in his throwing arm can approach his former 'zip' on the ball. That time frame is unpredictable. Also, many of the veteran Colt players, like Saturday, Wayne, and Mathis are free agents, and would count much more against the cap than younger players, if the Colts have any interest in re-signing them. But, I doubt that any of Peyton's money will be used to sign any of these older players to more than 1 or 2 year contracts. So, unless Peyton is willing to renegotiate his salary down substantially, he will be a free agent when the $26 million installment is not paid March 6. The Colt organization for the last 13 years has tried to make Peyton comfortable, but not anymore. I predict that he will make good on his promise before the 1998 draft, and return to Indianapolis to beat the Colts for the next five years. Guess I'll have to get rid of my Colts windbreaker, because wearing the jacket (free with Sports Illustrated renewal several years ago) was all about Peyton, our favorite Tennessee Volunteer in the pros. Happy landing, wherever you go, hopefully to a team only a quarterback away from being in Super Bowl 47. SAVol
Go4Two writes:
Come to the skins. Let the colts return to wence they came
tnmantravel#531151 writes:
IF YOUR THE COLTS...
Keep Manning...
Trade #1 pick using 3 teams and bring in 3 defensive players. Indy defense not that good last year...
IT'S LIKE WIN NOW
or
Let PM go getting nothing in return. NOTHING other than keeping Irsays money to sign Luck or RG3 and then minor players.
Imagine PM playing where his team is a dominating defense. Like BALTIMORE RAVENS or SF 49ers.
gillblog writes:
Nerve regeneration is the key now. If it works like PM wants it to, then he will have about 2 more years of high level performance. If it doesn't work he will know it by mid-March and will retire.
Otherwise, he's going to seek out the best team he can find and pursue another SB. The difference between Peyton and the few other HoF qb's who have been traded/let go in their last years is that his greatest talent is above his neck and those talents can put a mediocre team into playoff position immediately. There is not a more perceptive, creative, and aggressive minded offensive player in the NFL.
volgrog#210164 writes:
When you have to say twice in one week there isn't a problem, there is a problem. Not believing it, Mr. Irsay.
FanNotSheep writes:
Amazing all the people who know for a fact that Manning's career, or at least the best part of it, is over. Except for two of the top medical doctors in the business, including the one who performed the surgery. Those guys say there's no reason to expect anything but a full recovery and that he could play Sunday, although his arm does need time to strengthen.
I agree with the point of view that trading the pick makes more sense if the Colts want to win now. If they dump Manning it will not help them sell merchandise, popcorn or tickets and they will have a rookie QB who will be surrounded by the same guys that lost 14 games this season. If they trade the pick they can improve in at least two or three areas, and Manning is considered young in terms of wear and tear on his body. Other than the neck injury, he has been well protected by that O-line all these years. He probably took more hits his rookie season than in the next decade.
Bret Favre broke all his ribs and had scars from more surgeries than a war veteran, yet he might try another comeback when he is 50. I see no reason Manning couldn't play 5 more years. That is a big reason not to run him out of town. Luck may be a great one, but it will not help his chances if he walks into the horrible position of trying to replace a legend, especially one that got treated very badly by the owner on his way out.
txsvol#372416 writes:
Get the big picture, guys! If the Colts trade the #1 pick, there is no guarantee of having a franchise QB in the future, so they will pick Luck or RGIII. And, the Colt neurosurgeon who operated, along with the Chicago specialist, on PM, is in a ticklish situation. He is saying the surgery went well, and the fusion between C6 and C7 has healed as well as it can. But, he says nothing about the regeneration of the injured R C6 nerve root. After a latent period, peripheral nerves should regenerate at about 1 mm/day, which may take longer than the July opening of training camps. If the muscles innervated by the injured nerve are not strong enough for Peyton to throw like he used to, then the 10% reduction of his neck's mobility will make it harder to see Luck over his shoulder. The lack of nerve regeneration will be the putative reason Irsay and the Colts will part with Peyton. And, because Irsay wants to appear generous, he will make Peyton a free agent, so he and Condon can find the best spot for him. If the Colts try a sign and trade, Peyton can probably veto it, and his large salary will make such a deal tough. Peyton wants to play football, and also be his own offensive coordinator, not mentor his successor. And, his slightly weaker arm may be offset by his wealth of knowledge, and this may be enough to win the Super Bowl again, with the right complementary players around him. But, if the Colts keep Wayne and the other veterans, they will delay their rebuilding efforts. And, the new broom GM will muck the Colts stable. I hope that the Colts neurosurgeon keeps his consulting job with them. Does Irsay expect him to say that the surgery failed to achieve its desired objective? SAVol
FanNotSheep writes:
So where does that leave the doctor's quote that Manning's neck was healed and he could play Sunday?
I'll say this: I feel sorry for Luck if he takes over and this idiot owner makes Manning a martyr in the eyes of Colts fans. With Manning they were a perennial 14-game winner, whether breaking in new receivers, dealing with injuries to playmakers on both sides of the ball, playing great defense or no defense. Without him they were a 14-game loser with no chance. Sign the Number 1 draft choice and you may or may not have your next franchise QB, but what else can you put around him?
No other QB in the league meant as much to his team as 18 did the Colts. The fans will boo his replacement and the owner mercilessly for a very long time if Manning gets pushed out. Wait and see.
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