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Peyton Manning “Stunned” By Firing Of Polians

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was “stunned” by the firings of team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, who was the team’s general manager, according to ESPN.

"I was stunned, I was surprised, I was saddened and just disappointed that it all happened this way," Manning told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. "I was actually meeting with Bill in the training room and we were talking about my rehab schedule, what I could and couldn't do in the facility under the new (collective bargaining agreement) and my checkpoints when he was summoned to see Irsay. He actually chuckled and said, 'We'll see.' "

On Monday, Colts owner Jim Irsay fired the Polians after the Colts finished 2011 with a 2-14 record. Bill Polian drafted Manning first overall in 1998 and the two have enjoyed great success in Indianapolis.

"I used to think nobody hated losing more than I did or was more miserable after a loss. I decided it was a tie between me and Bill," Manning told Mortensen. "And I stay in the building pretty late and he was always here working, too. Personally, my goodness, so many thoughts. He was one of the last guys to leave my wedding with Ashley (his wife). This is very, very tough."