INDIANAPOLIS And yet again, news about this city's greatest sporting icon has again forced Super Bowl XLVI to take a back seat.QB Peyton Manning has been cleared to resume his NFL career by the doctor who performed his neck fusion surgery in September, but the future of the Colts star quarterback remains in limbo.
Manning still hasn't been cleared by Colts doctors, beyond the clearance weeks ago to throw and increase the intensity of his rehabilitation. It is unclear when Manning will be checked again by Colts doctors.
Nonetheless, Manning recently was cleared by Los Angeles-based specialist Robert Watkins, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who is not authorized to speak. Watkins and Colts neurosurgeon Hank Feuer cleared Manning in December to throw and engage in more aggressive rehabilitation.
"If you were my own son, I'd tell (you) to go play," Feuer told the four-time MVP, per an ESPN report .
Manning missed the entire 2011 season after getting the procedure done by Watkins, his third surgery in a 19-month span. Manning is due a $28 million bonus from the Colts next month, a decision node that could dictate whether he has a future with a team expected to select Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the first pick of the 2012 draft.
"I don't know what's going to happen with Peyton. I know he is rehabbing," Giants QB Eli Manning, Peyton's younger brother, said Thursday. "He is going to try to get better. I know he wants to continue to play football, if that's an option. The No. 1 priority for him is to get a 100%. Until he gets to that position, it's tough to say what is going to happen."
Watkins' latest examination of the 14-year veteran reportedly revealed that his neck is structurally sound enough to play in an NFL game, though Manning's famous rocket right arm may not have the requisite nerve regeneration for him to attain his lofty level of play for several more weeks.
Manning was said to have a throwing session with Colts WRs Anthony Gonzalez and Blair White on Tuesday, the same day Manning refuted a report he would be forced to retire and that he instead fully planned to play in 2012.
Colts owner Jim Irsay didn't want to reveal any timetable Wednesday as to when he plans to decide Manning's future in Indianapolis, the place where Manning was drafted first overall in 1998.
"We'll definitely sit down and talk after the Super Bowl," Irsay said. "We've talked already. In terms of a timeline, I don't see that being a factor. I think it's something that I would imagine would go into early March in terms of us having a conversation.
"It's a serious medical thing. It's a very complicated medical issue. . One of the things is you just haven't seen this in an NFL quarterback at all. When you try to consult doctors literally worldwide in terms of what are the expectations, what are the dangers, the risks, the aspects of coming back from it, no one can give you a definitive answer."
Irsay said his decision will boil down to his comfort with Manning's safety and the level of performance he reclaims.
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