Irsay insists, again, that he and Manning are fine

INDIANAPOLIS — Maybe, just maybe, the Colts and Peyton Manning are done stealing headlines during Super Bowl week.

They might save the real news for later.

The simmering spat between Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay bubbled up Thursday night, when Manning's surgeon sent out a statement saying the star quarterback had been cleared to play.

Irsay responded on Twitter in the wee hours before dawn Friday, declaring that: "Peyton has not passed our physical nor has he been cleared to play for The Indianapolis Colts" -- a terse statement that suggested Manning might have yet worn out his welcome in Indianapolis.

Then for the second straight Friday, Irsay tried to patch things up.

"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 owner said in a statement that included a color photo from Irsay's party that was taking place at about the same time as the controversy erupted.

The photo shows Manning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Irsay, former Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, actress Meg Ryan and singer John Mellencamp. The controversy didn't stop Manning from visiting an inner-city school Friday. Manning did not take questions at the event.

Manning's agent, Tom Condon, told the NFL Network that the four-time league MVP would play in 2012, a point Manning made perfectly clear when he told reporters Tuesday that he did not plan to retire despite missing the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in 19 months.

But the wild swings in the league's most-watched drama have been an overarching theme throughout Indy's first Super Bowl week.

And the ongoing soap opera has actually upstaged both weeks of buildup to Sunday's game between the Giants and Patriots -- a matchup that pits Manning's brother, Eli, against Manning's archrival, Tom Brady.

Even Goodell was asked about it Friday.

"I'm not troubled by it at all," Goodell said. "I don't think it's been a distraction."

Really?

Manning's neck injury has seemed to make more news this week than his younger brother's quest to win his second Super Bowl ring, Brady's quest to win his fourth and even Rob Gronkowski's injured ankle, much less Madonna and the rest of the celebrities in town.