Yes, I watched the CNN video several times. They were expressing surprise that Carson was taking a break, and speculating what it meant. But they never said Carson was quitting, or dropping out or in any way ending his campaign.
The Cruz campaign jumped on the speculation and tried to used it to sway votes to Cruz. That can't be explained away. Something like that should actually carry criminal penalties, but this particular scenario could only play out in a caucus situation when a less than ethical campaign is involved. An ethical campaign would have checked to be sure the speculation was correct before spreading it around to caucus sites and trying to influence voters.