Today’s is Peyton Manning’s last day as an Indianapolis Colt, and to announce such a drastic alteration in the sports world, Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning took to the podium for Manning’s last press conference as a member of the team that drafted him. It was a bittersweet day as both men shed tears, and reminisced about the good things the Colts have accomplished during Manning’s tenure.

It should be noted there was no animosity from either party. Irsay hoped for the best for Manning and, of course, Manning didn’t have one bad word to say about his former franchise. A couple of screenshots from the presser do a good job of relaying the mood:

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The second screenshot was taken while Manning was in the process of holding back tears. Clearly, both men regret this unfortunate business decision, and, as you might expect, Twitter felt the same way. First, however, here’s perhaps the most precise tweet concerning the Colts decision to part ways with Manning:

Much to my surprise, Skip is on the right track, but he still fails to ask the most important question: Will either of these rookies be better than Manning? Irsay better damn well hope so. As for the rest of the Twitter reaction, a great deal of sadness was apparently had by all who support the Colts:

Meaning the Colts will retire the number 18 jersey. Considering all that Peyton accomplished there, it only makes sense. The reaction continues:

I’m glad Irsay didn’t try to frame Manning as some kind of troll who demanded this kind of upheaval, because the opposite is true. Irsay and his cronies fell in love with Andrew Luck and have decided to rebuild the team around the soon-to-be rookie. If Manning goes to another team and plays like the Manning of old, I wonder how Colts fans will feel, especially when their rookie quarterback inevitably struggles?