Rob Lowe Tweets That Peyton Manning Will Retire
Rob Lowe has claimed to be an insider on the Peyton Manning saga that has been a much-speculated topic since summer 2011.
The actor reportedly tweeted a message on Wednesday that he heard from "his people" that four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning will retire on Thursday.
There has been no indication from Manning that he will leave the game, which he dominated for much of his 13-year-career with the Indianapolis Colts, throwing for over 54,000 yards and 399 touchdowns. He also won the franchise's only Super Bowl in 2009.
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The tweet read, ""Hearing my fave, #18 Peyton Manning will not return to #NFL. Wow. #Colts."
ESPN reports the information is false.
"Archie Manning laughed when he heard @RobLowe said Peyton will retire, 'Noooo...he ain't retiring. I think he would've told me.'#NFL32," Chris Mortensen tweeted.
According to ESPN, Colts spokesman Avis Roper and Manning's agent Tom Condon didn't comment on the news. Lowe is reportedly good friends with Colts owner Jim Irsay.
However, Lowe told Rich Eisen of the NFL Network, that his source absolutely was not Irsay, but he heard the news from "a pretty darn good source," according to the Washington Post.
"It wasn't Jim or anyone else close to Jim," Lowe told Eisen.
Lowe claims that he tweeted the information as a fan and wanted to "let the professionals see what's true or not."
Manning has been battling a neck injury, involving bulging discs, which has caused him to miss the entire NFL season. Before missing the first week of the 2011 season, he was second all-time in consecutive starts behind Brett Favre, with 227, including the playoffs. His younger brother, Eli Manning, is third all-time on the list with 128, including playoff games.
The Colts front office is cleaning house after its worse season in over ten years. They fired head coach, Jim Caldwell and GM, Bill Polian, earlier in the week. Many league insiders expect the Colts to select Stanford quarterback and Heisman finalist, Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Insiders ponder whether it is worth the Colts to keep Manning and Luck on the same roster. Some say if Manning is healthy, he could be productive while mentoring Luck on his way out of the league. They cite that Manning is too much of a commodity to part ways with. Others question his health, his age and say the Colts should trade him and start a new era under Luck.
It is speculated that a Manning trade could be worth multiple first-round picks. Manning's four MVP awards are an NFL record.
