ESPN Plays Spin Control With Peyton Manning’s Status
Added on Feb 01, 2012 by Jack Thurman in
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Think ESPN is the ‘Worldwide Leader’ and the go-to place for the latest sports news? Think again–with virtually every other sports outlet on the planet along with quite a few mainstream media channels reporting that Peyton Manning’s playing career is in jeopardy at best and is over at worst ESPN instead went into ‘spin’ mode trying to convince everyone that things were fine. It’s like the scene in Star Wars where Obi-Wan Kenobi convinces the Stormtroopers that ‘these aren’t the droids you’re looking for’, only ESPN did it with less finesse and success.
Keep in mind that the ‘Manning’s career is in jeopardy’ stories weren’t just the speculation of a few disgruntled bloggers–they were based on information from a variety of medical doctors, Manning confidants and other experts. Even the ones without direct information on Manning’s condition were experts on the type of medical procedures he’s undergone and the rehab from them. Not that it takes a neurosurgeon to figure out that getting three vertebrae fused in your neck isn’t a routine procedure.
On Monday there were thousands of stories that all started with a Yahoo Sports article by Jason Cole that sure didn’t make things sound good:
The nerves in Manning’s arm are not healing as quickly as hoped and, worse, don’t appear to be progressing at enough of a rate to indicate that he will play again, according to two sources with knowledge of Manning’s rehabilitation from neck surgery. The vertebrae in his neck that were fused have healed as expected and Manning began throwing in December. But he hasn’t shown improvement in velocity on his passes, and the two sources fear he likely never will again.
In addition, two league-affiliated doctors with experience in spinal fusion surgery said it could take up to a year before Manning knows if he can return. Both said the risk is too great for Manning to play again and, because of the timeline, neither would recommend the Colts pay Manning the $28 million bonus he is owed in March.
Then the NFL’s public relations arm–aka ESPN–went in to action to convince the unwitting masses that Manning is fine:
Manning said that his recovery from spinal fusion surgery in September — his third surgery in 19 months — is going well despite the fact he didn’t play last season.
Manning sounded like a classic guy caught between trying to stay optimistic and being in complete denial about his status:
“I really feel good. I continue to make progress every day,” he said. “Everything that the doctors have told me has been on point, which is encouraging to me. I just had a great day today with rehab, just got back from the facility, and that’s what we continue to do. Just keep trying to get better. So far I have. That’s the plan from here on out.”
Well that settles it! Who cares what all of these doctors with their fancy degrees and abbreviations after their name thing. ESPN and Manning himself says that things are great! Play on!!
Even if Manning isn’t in denial about his health he’s got plenty of incentive to play along. There’s an outside chance the Colts pick up his $28 million option. Even if they don’t, the more he can convince the league that he’s fine the more likely he could continue to rehab and pull a paycheck with some other team.
