Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been forced to undergo a second bout of neck surgery in the last 18 months.
Manning has second bout of neck surgery in 18 months
Indianapolis Colts have revealed star quarterback Peyton Manning has been forced to undergo a second bout of neck surgery in the last 18 months.
Four-time league MVP Manning had surgery on a pinched nerve in his neck in February 2010, and on Monday in Chicago he had to go under the knife again.
Team owner Jim Irsay revealed that this time around Manning had a less evasive procedure to repair a bulging disc.
With players currently locked out from their teams and having to train on their own, Manning will not be missing much.
Irsay believes the recovery period is normally up to eight weeks, and Manning has a good record of getting over injuries quickly.
"He had a bulging disc," Irsay said. "The doctors removed a part of it.
"It's usually a six-to-eight week recovery period. I think this is one you can bounce back from quickly."
Manning is only behind Brett Favre in terms of playing consecutive NFL games, with his 227 starts still way behind Favre's record of 321.
The 35-year-old is currently in negotiations for a new big-money contract, with his present deal set to expire in Indianapolis this year.
Irsay has no worries about Manning regaining full fitness and does not think the surgery will affect talks over a new contract.
"He has a great chance to play five years," Irsay said. "He's such a tough guy, takes care of himself and really, really works hard.
"I feel good about it. This doesn't affect the way I view (a new contract)."
