Broncos’ Peyton Manning Denies Doping Allegations

It’s been a rough year for Peyton Manning. The Denver Broncos’ star quarterback has been fighting a partially torn plantar fascia this season and is now being confronted with allegations that he used Human Growth Hormone (HGH) while he played with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Dark Side, a new documentary coming out from Al Jazeera, alleges that Manning received packages of HGH sent to his home under his wife’s name, Ashley Manning. While HGH is not an illegal substance, it has been banned in the NFL since 2011.

According to Al Jazeera, Manning used the substance to aid in his recuperation from numerous neck surgeries. The evidence comes on hidden camera footage from a former intern at The Guyer Institute of Molecular Medicine. Since the allegations have come out, Dr. Dale Guyer, who runs the institute, has denied the reports. Additionally, Charlie Sly, the former intern, has recanted the statements he made to Al Jazeera.

Manning, for his part, has also vehemently denied the allegations. In a statement released by the Denver Broncos, Manning said, “The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up. It never happened. Never.” Manning also said he is thinking of suing Al Jazeera.

Yesterday on NFL Countdown, Peyton Manning spoke about the "garbage" allegations that he was supplied with HGH. https://t.co/6vp56ROazl

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 28, 2015

The allegations have rocked the NFL, where Manning is known as a nice guy who plays hard. New England Patriots quarterback and Manning friend, Tom Brady, told WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan” show that he fully supports his friend.

“He’s been a great player for this league, for his teams, for his organizations. He’s been one of the best players to ever play the game. Nobody has more respect for Peyton than I do, and everything that he’s accomplished.”

Manning wasn’t the only big name player named in the report. NFL stars Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers along with MLB stars Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman were also mentioned in the Al Jazeera documentary.