Don Banks of Sports Illustrated has the latest news on Peyton Manning, in a story entitled “As Colts near deadline on Manning, more troublesome details emerge.” The info comes indirectly from “NFL sources” who I suspect have a propensity to quote random song lyrics and hang out with Rob Lowe.

Those details are mainly that Manning underwent a procedure in between the May 23rd surgery last offseason, and his September 9th neck fusion that effectively ended his season. There is also a reference to a workout in December when Manning was trying to get back on the field in red zone sets. While they sound like big news, I don’t think either of these things adds to the issue with Manning now or tells us anything about the future. They are offered now, though, as new disturbing details.

Let’s get a few things straight. I do not know if Peyton Manning will ever play and at what level. I also sure as heck don’t trust any “NFL Sources” with details at this point, and will not until Manning is officially released and teams with different agendas can evaluate independently. This is a war of words being perpetrated through the press, whether it be with Rob Lowe, Jason King, Don Banks or Chris Mortensen. Quite frankly, at this point, it’s shameful and Jim Irsay is acting like a spoiled brat. Yes, Manning certainly responded in kind during Super Bowl week, but the heavier guns have been consistently coming from the Colts.

I fully expected the Colts to release Peyton Manning after the glow of the Super Bowl had worn off, and that the little dog show that was put on the week of the Super Bowl would be put behind them. Neither of these men should want to drag the conclusion through the mud. Though there are Colts fans who are primarily Manning fans, Irsay is probably not winning the PR campaign with them anyway. Most logical football fans understand the position Indianapolis is in given how bad the roster was last year, how fortunate they are to have the #1 pick in a season where there happens to be a once-a-decade prospect at quarterback, and the uncertainty of Manning’s health.

These “breaking reports” from anonymous NFL sources need to stop though. Irsay had some ridiculous statement about keeping it in house, and since then has done everything but. It’s business to let someone like Manning go because of the circumstances; it’s embarrassing how it has been handled. Just this week, we’ve seen some public grandstanding by Irsay about how it is Peyton’s decision, followed by this later “report.”

Get it over with, Irsay. We know what’s coming, and each new move should just make the next quarterback in Indianapolis question whether he should want to be there either.

[photo via US Presswire]