Goodell tackles Irsay, Manning talk in address

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - All of the Peyton Manning speculation in the media, both local and national, isn’t phasing the man at the head of the NFL.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the number of headlines Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay are making in his annual State of the League address Friday.

"The NFL has such tremendous interest and we're here in Indianapolis and we all know what Peyton Manning means to the Indianapolis Colts, what he means to this community. I think it's not unusual that you're going to have that kind of interest in a great player and a team that has to make some difficult decisions in the next several weeks, so I'm not troubled by it at all. I don't think it's distracted from the event,” Goodell said.

Reports surfaced Thursday that Manning had been cleared to resume playing in the NFL.

Irsay took to his customary social media platform early Friday morning to announce that the Colts had yet to clear the quarterback and that a statement from the team would be forthcoming.

“I think those are difficult decisions that the team and the player are going to be facing in the next few weeks and I understand the interest," Goodell explained.