Citing two sources with knowledge of Peyton Manning's rehabilitation from neck surgery, Yahoo! Sports reported Monday night that the Colts quarterback has hit a plateau in his recovery and might not be able to play football again.
According to the story, the vertebrae in Manning's neck have healed as expected and he's been throwing a football since December, but the nerves in his arm aren't progressing enough to indicate that he will play again, as shown by the velocity in his passes.
The Yahoo! story also quoted two doctors with experience in spinal fusion surgery who said it could take up to one year before Manning will even know if he can return.
Manning couldn't be reached for comment on the story, and Colts owner Jim Irsay said Monday that he didn't want to discuss the issue any more during Super Bowl week.
Manning's older brother Cooper told NFL Network's Albert Breer on Monday that Peyton "is going to do every single thing a human being can possibly do to get ready to play again.
"Where, when and how he'll play, that's all up in the air," Cooper Manning said. "But as far as his body goes, Peyton's smart, he'll know what to do. Anyone predicting what will happen now going forward is just wasting their breath. But he is working as hard as anyone can work to get out there again."
