A few months ago I would have bet at least two burritos to Chipotle that Peyton Manning would still be on the Colts. I’d be out a solid 16 bucks tonight.

I don’t get it. It’s absurd. Inhumane, even. How do you let go of the 2011 NFL MVP? Yes, I don’t have any inside information about his injury and condition. If he never plays again because of his neck, I’ll eat crow.

Maybe it’s because for my entire life Manning has been consistently the best quarterback. Guy won four MVP’s in seven years. I grew up just knowing Peyton Manning was what every team strove to have behind center.

He’s like that family fish that just hangs around and now all of a sudden pops (Jim Irsay) decides to flush down the drain. Not that Manning is dead or anything, but I just have a hard time seeing him on any other team. I don’t even like the Colts but it just won’t seem right. Like it won’t seem right if Hines Ward isn’t wearing black and gold this season. It’s like Arnold from Hey Arnold appearing in an episode of Dragon Ball Z; just doesn’t taste good.

I said “inhumane” earlier and let me explain. How does Jim Irsay let go of a man that saved his franchise, made him millions of dollars and brought him a Super Bowl? Yeah, Andrew Luck could be Zeus, but Manning is Zeus. Commercials, jersey sales, press conferences, obviously his play on the field — Manning did it all the best. And to cut him and forget all he did for a city just because there’s the next big thing out there, seems inhumane. Maybe “inhumane” is a loaded, too harsh of a word. “Mean” seems better.

And that’s probably why I’m so upset about Manning being released by the Colts. Business is trumping. Sports are a business. And it’s sad that those last two sentences are true.