Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had further neck surgery Thursday, the team announced, his third surgery in the past 19 months.
Manning decided to have the surgery after consultation with a half-dozen doctors who reached a consensus that the most viable option would be a one-level cervical neck fusion in the wake of his May 23 surgery to repair a bulging disk. It's unclear whether Manning would be able to return to play this season.
The team said in a statement Thursday that the surgery was "uneventful" and that it would not place Manning on season-ending injured reserve and instead keep him on the active roster.
"This procedure is performed regularly throughout the country on persons from all walks of life, including professional football players. Two former Colts players had this same procedure last winter and have fully resumed their careers," the team said in the statement.
"Rehabilitation from such surgery is typically an involved process. Therefore, there will be no estimation of a return date at this time."
Regardless of how the Colts are spinning this, that just does not sound good. At this point, it's getting much easier to envision Manning missing a significant part (if not all) of the season.
