Manning and Irsay say no hard feelings

Football Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and team owner Jim Irsay issued a joint statement Friday to dispel any notion that the two are at odds.

Manning and Irsay both made comments through the media in recent days following the upheaval in the club's front office and coaching staff, but Friday's missive was issued in an attempt to quell rumors of a disruptive spat between the two.

"Since 1998, we have enjoyed a great relationship, based upon mutual respect and trust," the statement read. "We have always been able to talk and address matters we've faced over the years, not just as owner and player, but as friends. We had a long talk today and we want to assure Colts fans everywhere that we are both committed to maintaining our close relationship and to working together through any challenges the future may bring."

Bill Polian, who shaped the Colts football operations and drafted Manning upon arriving in Indianapolis in 1998, was the first to go after the team suffered through a 2-14 season without the injured four-time MVP. Head coach Jim Caldwell soon followed after Ryan Grigson was named the club's new general manager.

There has been speculation that Manning, healthy or not, may be the next one out the door. Manning sat out the entire 2011 campaign following neck surgery and it's not completely known if he will be fully healed to play in 2012.

The Colts have the first pick in April's draft, and with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck considered a can't miss prospect, the team may be willing to shed Manning's high price and start over.

A March 8 deadline looms for the Colts, who must decide whether to keep Manning and pay him a $28 million roster bonus for 2012 or allow him to leave as a free agent.

Manning made comments to the Indianapolis Star on Monday, saying the situation surrounding the Colts is "not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least. Everybody's walking around on eggshells. I don't recognize our building right now. There's such complete and total change."

He added that tough decisions will have to be made by ownership and he understands that it's business, but also stated that he wanted to "play the same place my whole career."

Irsay responded and said Manning should not have gone public with his statements and should have instead kept things in house.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.