Peyton Manning Retiring, Says Rob Lowe

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is retiring from the NFL, according to Parks and Recreation star Rob Lowe.

Lowe reported on Twitter Hearing my fave, #18 Peyton Manning will not return to #NFL. Wow. #Colts.

He followed up his tweet by saying, #Colts fans, let's hope my info is wrong. Don't like being wrong, but this time...I'm hoping #NFL #Manning.

The out of nowhere tweets sent the Twitterverse into frenzy with speculation, Parks and Recreation jokes, and general mayhem. The Colts have not publicly commented on Lowe's tweets nor has anyone been able to confirm that the former West Wings star actually has good intel on Manning's mindset.

If Manning is indeed retiring, it'd be quite the shock for most NFL fans. The majority of the speculation this off-season has centered on whether the Colts will retain Manning next season and not whether the former MVP would even play next year.

Rob Lowe breaking news on Manning's retirement would undoubtedly be the early frontrunner for most implausible story of 2012. The decision could have been made when Manning saw that the Colts were going to take Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick and release him.

Manning is due a $28 million bonus in March, which has led many to speculate that the Colts would release their franchise quarterback so that they didn't have to dedicate such a massive portion of their salary cap to only one position.

The Manning announcement is certainly a shock, but would go in line with the rest of the tumultuous off-season the Colts have had. Colts owner Jim Irsay has already dismissed the team's vice president Bill Polian; general manager Chris Polian; and head coach Jim Caldwell. Losing Manning would just signal that the rebuilding process has officially begun.

The Lowe tweets clearly need to be taken with a huge grain of salt, but it's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities for Manning to retire rather than play somewhere else. He has stayed relatively mum all season while rehabbing from neck injuries, but his father has made it perfectly clear that his son prefers to play in Indianapolis.

Peyton kind of likes his roots in Indy, Archie Manning, Peyton's father, told the New York Post. We'll see what happens there. That'll all work out. He's just trying to get healthy.