Peyton Manning retiring? So says Rob Lowe

(CBS/AP) Rob Lowe knows some things about Indiana. His hit show "Parks and Recreation" takes place there. He is a huge Indianapolis Colts fan and he's tight with team owner Jim Irsay.

So when the actor tweeted Wednesday that a certain guy named Peyton Manning was hanging up his cleats, people listened.

Well, not really. But people sure noticed.

Specifically, Lowe said he'd heard from "my people" that the Colts quarterback would retire later in the day.

Despite a wide-ranging backlash of bewilderment and ridicule, Lowe would not back off of the rumor, even telling NFL Network's Rich Eisen that he heard of the impending retirement from "a pretty darn good source."

There was no official word 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.

Team owner Irsay took a shot at his friend for the unfounded tweet, proclaiming that "sources" say Lowe will star in an "epic remake of 'Deep Throat' with aging porn stars and 4 finger circus clowns!"