Colts

I never thought I would ever say this, but the Colts have to let Peyton Manning go. For 14 years, Manning has been the face of the franchise for the Indianapolis Colts and it was a great run. But it has to end sometime and Manning will be 36 by the time the 2012 season starts. In the twilight of his career and due $23 million. The Colts would be wise to put sentiment in the rear-view mirror and look to the future. There is only one prudent move to make on Draft Day:  Take Andrew Luck.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Rockies outfielder Todd Helton have been working out at Duke this week, an athletic department spokesman says Thursday. The spokesman said both are there primarily to visit David Cutcliffe, who was Tennessee's offensive coordinator when both were college quarterbacks. The cover was blown earlier Thursday when Matt Skura, a Duke football player, wrote on Twitter that he was "stretching" next to Manning.

Rob Lowe is taking on another role - pigskin prognosticator. The actor lit up social media Wednesday when he tweeted that Peyton Manning was done. Lowe said he'd heard from "my people" that the Indianapolis Colts quarterback would retire later in the day. No official word yet from Manning, the 35-year-old star who missed this season with a neck injury. But ESPN's Chris Mortensen tweeted that Manning's father, Archie, laughed at Lowe's report and said it wasn't true.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The IHSAA and the Indianapolis Colts announced the 2010 high school football academic all-stars Monday. The 24 players will be honored prior to Sunday's Colts game. Four area players made the team: OL Michael Furfaro, Mishawaka; RB Darin Hochstetler, Fairfield; QB Kyle Hartson, LaPorte; and LB Calvin Eads, Plymouth. 2010 Indiana High School Academic All-Stars OFFENSE Pos. Name, High School OL Blake Dunshee, Zionsville OL Ryan Mughmaw, Oak Hill OL Jackson Branson, Madison-Grant OL Jordan Leising, Bluffton OL Michael Furfaro, Mishawaka TE Matthew Nagy, Brebeuf Jesuit WR Kendall Griffin, Avon WR Clint Romines, Woodlan RB Darin Hochstetler, Fairfield QB Jason Stemple, Mt. Vernon QB Kyle Hartson, LaPorte PK Neil Miller, Wabash DEFENSE Pos. Name, High School DL Alex Hegg, Seeger DL Clint Davis, Ft. Wayne North Side DL Spencer Murphy, North Miami DL Daniel Dalton, Wood Memorial LB Calvin Eads, Plymouth LB Brad Qualizza, Crown Point LB Kyle Patton, West Lafayette DB Devon Hudson, South Decatur DB Scott McKibben, Lakeland DB Ben Townsend, Blackford DB Tyler Simmons, Kankakee Valley P Miles Stacey, TC Howe Academy

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A fund set up to raise money for those injured in the Indiana State Fair stage collapse now has more than $240,000. Central Indiana Community Foundation spokesman Mike Knight says the State Fair Remembrance Fund contained $242,404 as of Tuesday. That total includes $64,753 donated by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who pledged to give $1 per ticket distributed for the team's Aug. 19 preseason game against Washington. The tally doesn't include donations expected from concert by Train and Maroon 5 that was moved from the state fair to Conseco Fieldhouse.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) - Miami Dolphins fans want the team to acquire Peyton Manning, and they're using a billboard and website to campaign. The manningtomiami.com site is advertised on a billboard along an Interstate near the Dolphins' complex. Under an image of Manning about to throw a pass in a Dolphins uniform, the sign reads "MANNING TO MIAMI.com. " The website encourages fans to fill out a form urging the Dolphins to bring Manning to Miami. A list of those supporting the campaign will be given to the Dolphins and Manning's advisers, the site says.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts have hired Tom McMahon as their new special teams coordinator. McMahon replaces Marwan Maalouf, who left after one season with what the team described Thursday as a mutual agreement. McMahon was the special teams coach in Kansas City last season. He had the same job with St. Louis from 2009-11 and was the assistant special teams coach with Atlanta in 2007 and 2008. Previously, McMahon had coached exclusively in the high school and college ranks, starting his career as the secondary coach at Carroll College in 1992.

LAGRANGE, IN - A 65-year-old LaGrange area man is missing. The LaGrange County Sheriff's Department says John Auer, who's around 65-years-old, was last seen Tuesday on a blue 10-speed bicycle with a backpack. Police say Auer suffers from a bipolar disorder, schizophrenaia and depression. He is known to wander in the Fort Wayne area and was last seen wearing a blue Colts t-shirt, khaki shorts, tan water shoes and glasses. Auer has short hair, a beard and walks on the side of his right foot.

Clifton French joined the WSBT News team in December 2009. He graduated from Ball State University with a degree in telecommunications and political science. While at Ball State, Clifton anchored and reported for the university's Emmy Award-winning Newswatch program. He also reported, anchored and produced for East Central Indiana's NewsLink Indiana. Clifton grew up in Lebanon, Indiana and joined the Army National Guard as a cannon crew member during his senior year of high school.

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) - ESPN is pulling Hank Williams' classic intro song from Monday night's broadcast of the game between Tampa Bay and Indianapolis after the country singer used an analogy to Adolf Hitler in discussing President Barack Obama. In an interview Monday morning on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," Williams said of Obama's outing on the links with House Speaker John Boehner: "It'd be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.