Report: Doctors clear Peyton to play
Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts throws a pass before a game against the Tennessee Titans. (Dec. 9, 2010) Credit: Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Peyton Manning saga may have just gotten a lot more interesting.
The Colts quarterback has been medically cleared to resume his NFL career by two doctors, according to an ESPN report Thursday. The four-time MVP missed the 2011 season because of lingering problems from a third neck surgery during the past two years.
The report said that Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed the latest surgery on Manning's neck last Sept. 8, and Colts neurosurgeon Dr. Hank Feuer have cleared Manning to play again.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said he will meet soon with Manning, who turns 36 March 24, to discuss the quarterback's future. Manning is due a $28-million roster bonus in early March, and Irsay wants more medical information before then to decide whether to keep Manning or release him. Irsay has raised the possibility of extending the March 8 roster bonus deadline, although it is uncertain if Manning would agree to delay that date.
A Colts spokesman said Thursday night that the team would have no comment on the latest report.
If Manning is released, he would be free to sign with any NFL team. The Cardinals, Dolphins and Jets have been mentioned as potential landing spots, although Jets officials have stated publicly several times that they expect Mark Sanchez to remain their starting quarterback next season.
Watkins said Dec. 1 that surgery to fuse two discs in Manning's neck had achieved a "firm fixation" and that he could increase his level of activity. Manning has since resumed throwing.
The ESPN report cited a source saying that Feuer recently told Manning, "If you were my own son, I'd tell [you] to go play."
Manning said Tuesday in an ESPN interview that he is making significant progress and that he expected to be cleared to play in the near future.
The report said, however, that Manning needs to see more improvement in nerve regeneration in his triceps, an issue that has affected the strength of his throwing arm. The report added that Manning might not know until sometime around May -- which would be a year after another surgical procedure on a bulging disc in his neck -- if his arm is strong enough to allow him to play at a high enough level to return.
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