Peyton Manning Status Report Leads Colts' Jim Irsay to Deny Health Clearance

Jim Irsay has taken to Twitter—again—to address to his current roster dilemma with Peyton Manning.

ESPN insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter cited a source that claims two doctors reportedly cleared Manning to resume his NFL career.

Irsay's response was short, to the point and, once again, indicative of what many expect to be the reason the Colts will ultimately release the future Hall of Fame quarterback:

One of the two white coats that cleared Manning was Dr. Robert Watkins, the man who last performed surgery on his injured neck.

What It Means

Manning and Irsay have been at odds with one another in the media for some time now. When news breaks around one of them, the other typically responds. They've tried to publicly patch things up and even released a joint statement in effort to smooth things over, but news keeps surfacing left and right.

There is little, if any, chance Irsay and the Colts will pay Manning the $28 million he's due on March 8th. The only way they can deny him of that is by releasing him and citing medical concerns as the reasoning.

The Colts medical staff isn't about to clear Manning or verify any other doctor's report.

What Happens Next

Irsay and Manning are just trying to get through the Super Bowl. Fortunately for them, this is likely to be the last day anyone puts focus on them in Indianapolis. Once the dust settles and a new Super Bowl champion is crowned, all bets are off.

We are approximately one month away from March 8th and we know that Manning wants to put an end to this situation sooner rather than later.

At this point the question is not so much if the Colts are going to release him, but when.

Update: Friday, Feb. 3 - 5 p.m. EST

The Colts' official team statement is anything but.

Pro Football Talk cites the statement, which was accompanied with a picture, as saying:

"

Peyton Manning, Jim Irsay and the entire Colts family remain close and unified as we continue to work through all the options that relate to his future with the Colts. The present focus is on the Super Bowl and the great game that awaits.

"

Obviously somebody told Irsay his best bet was to keep his mouth shut and fingers (on Twitter) still for the moment.

Once the new champion is crowned things will certainly heat up again.