Peyton Manning has had a bunch of neck surgeries. That is common knowledge. The question is does it matter how many he has had, or is everyone of the mindset that a bunch is a bunch? Sometime between May and September, Manning had what was believed to be a third procedure on his neck. On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks revealed that it was actually Manning’s fourth procedure. Even worse, it may not be his last.
While it cannot be determined exactly when the unreported procedure on Manning’s neck took place, it was at some point after his May 23 surgery in Chicago to correct a bulging disk, and before his Sept. 9 one-level cervical neck fusion surgery in Marina Del Rey, Calif. The same doctor who operated on Manning’s bulging disk in May did a follow-up procedure last summer in Chicago, as a result of the original surgery. … At the time of Manning’s September neck operation, that surgery was reported to be his third neck procedure in 19 months. In reality, it was his fourth.
In addition, league sources say Manning’s neck has potentially developed bone spurs just above the point where his latest fusion surgery took place in early September, and the Colts organization is under the belief that it is nearly inevitable Manning will at some point require further surgery, and possibly another fusion procedure, even if he does successfully return to the field in 2012. It’s unclear how any potential long-term neck issues will impact Manning’s decision to attempt a resumption of his NFL playing career later this year.
By now we can see how this story is going to go throughout the entire offseason. One minute Manning may never play again and the next he has reportedly been cleared medically. More recently, we heard that Peyton has a noodle arm and is not throwing like an NFL quarterback. Between talk of needing further surgery and the Colts willing to let him come back at a reduced price, nobody seems to have any idea what the future holds for the Hall of Famer. Wednesday’s report is just a reminder that Manning is not as healthy as he wants people to believe.
