After the news broke that Peyton Manning had spinal fusion surgery on his neck, people started asking if, with such a serious injury, how did Manning pass a physical before signing his $90 million dollar contract back in July? I mean, if the neck injury was so severe it required a third surgery, how did Peyton pass a physical, which is often required before any player signs a contract?
According to sources talking to Mike Florio at PFT, there was no physical.
Per a league source, that new five-year, $90 million contract was given to Manning without the quarterback having to pass a physical. In other words, he got $20 million to sign, and the Colts didn’t insist on obtaining medical clearance that he can play before giving it to him. (He eventually passed a physical before being cleared to practice last week — before suffering the setback that caused the latest procedure.)
With the Colts choosing to keep Manning on the active roster, he’ll also pocket his $3.4 million base salary for the new season, along with a $3 million roster bonus tied to Manning being on the 53-man roster for any one game in 2011.
Well, last night on his weekly radio show, Bill Polian took time to discuss this report. He did not mention Florio or PFT, but it was clear he was addressing this specific report, saying Peyton did, in fact, have a physical before signing his contract.
As I mentioned in my write-up on last night, I've contacted Mike Florio and he said the report is fact, not a rumor.
So, either Bill lied on the radio last night, or Florio's league source is incorrect.
I honestly don't know how serious this is if Florio's report is true, but it was serious enough that Bill Polian specifically chose to address it on his radio show.