Peyton Manning's foot injury goes back 'five or six months,' his father says

Dec. 18--The first time we heard about Peyton Manning's plantar fascia tear was last month, after the Denver Broncos quarterback was benched during a four-interception effort against Kansas City.

But his father said Manning's foot injury goes back as far as this summer.

"He really had this foot problem," Archie Manning told WDSU-TV in New Orleans. "It's been going on for five or six months."

Peyton Manning struggled all season, throwing nearly twice as many interceptions (17) as touchdowns (nine), and hasn't played since the Chiefs game on Nov. 15. He started practicing with the Broncos again Wednesday but will not play Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Archie Manning knows his son's career is close to an end. Retirement was a topic of discussion for the two of them this past off-season.

"We talked about it. We talked a lot about it, you know, knowing when it's time and stepping down and so forth," Archie Manning said. "He felt good. [But] he went back this year and he struggled again with injury."

Archie Manning said they haven't discussed it since then. He feels his son is concentrating on getting back on the field right now and has plenty of time to ponder his future after the season ends.

"Peyton's got plenty of sense, so when everything's done at the end of the year he'll sit down and make a decision," Archie Manning said. "Whatever he does, Peyton will attack it. If he steps down, he'll find something else and go after it. If he wants to play some more, he'll go after it."