Manning underwent neck surgery

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts QB Peyton Manning underwent neck surgery on Monday to relieve pain he had been experiencing, Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed Tuesday. The surgery, first reported by the Indianapolis Star, was performed in Chicago and was minimally invasive. It was the quarterback's second neck surgery in the past 15 months.

The latest operation was to address a disk-related issue in his neck. Irsay described the procedure as clipping the disk that's up against a nerve.

"In terms of other procedures he's had, I'd say this one was probably less invasive," Irsay said. "… Really it went well and I think it's one you can bounce back from pretty quickly."

While in lockout, there are no OTAs or minicamps for Manning to attend. Irsay said the recovery time would probably be 6-8 weeks. The All-Pro told the Star that "there is plenty of time for recovery," implying he expects to be ready whenever the season does begin.

"With Peyton, I think it's going to be more you get him to rest as much as you can because, quite frankly, you really feel good right away," Irsay said. "The disk is off the nerve and the pain is gone. The incision and those things are very minor, so you kind of feel like within two weeks you can get up and get going, but I think there's a little rehab there. … Assuming we had a full and regular season, I think he'd be good to go for preseason games."

The quarterback is still hoping to reach a long-term contract with the Colts, though the deal can't be worked out during the labor stoppage. The Colts placed their exclusive franchise tag on him before the lockout began.

"He's had things that were tougher before … to be honest with you," Irsay said. "… It doesn't affect the way I view (his contract situation). I think he's got a great chance to play five years. I think he's such a tough guy. He's one of the toughest guys I've been around and I've seen a lot guys through the last 40 years that are tough guys, but he's tough. He takes care of himself. He really, really works hard."

Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/05/24/manning-underwent-neck-surgery

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