Ashley Manning accused of receiving ‘illegal’ shipments of HGH

Since Peyton Manning has not denied that his wife received numerous shipments of human growth hormone, it seems fair to wonder why a drug that has been used by countless athletes — almost all illegally — would be sent to an NFL player’s home.

When the Al Jazeera story linking Manning to HGH first surfaced, he immediately went on the offensive and ripped Charlie Sly and the network for invading his wife’s privacy. Manning insists he has never taken anything illegal or anything that was prescribed to his wife, and those who have defended the Broncos quarterback are quick to point out that Ashley Manning’s medical history is no one’s business but her own.

That’s a very fair point, but many people are overlooking the fact that Al Jazeera’s sources — including Sly — allege that Ashley Manning was illegally prescribed HGH and that it was illegally shipped to her. Is that not an important detail?

Deborah Davies, the lead reporter for the Al Jazeera story, elaborated on that during an interview with WEEI’s “Dennis and Callahan” on Tuesday.

“What we said at the beginning of the program was we are raising questions about the link between Peyton Manning and human growth hormone,” Davies said. “Let me very quickly give you three of the questions: Did Peyton Manning ever say to his wife, this very powerful drug, human growth hormone, which is being illegally prescribed and illegally shipped to you in Florida and elsewhere in the U.S., do we think that’s a good idea for that to happen? Did Peyton Manning ever say to his wife, do we think it’s a good idea for this drug, which is not only being illegally prescribed and illegally shipped, is also banned in my sport, NFL, is it a good idea to have this repeatedly shipped to us in Florida and elsewhere?

“Did the Colts ever say to their star player, who could and should afford the best treatment from the top doctors in America, is it a good idea for you to go to an anti-aging clinic in Indianapolis to get treatment? Let’s start with some of those questions.”

There are roughly a handful of medical conditions that call for the legal prescription of HGH in the United States, and you can read about them here. Could Manning’s wife suffer from one of those conditions? Yes, but why would she need to obtain HGH illegally if that was the case?

Despite people like this famous broadcaster blowing off the Al Jazeera report, there are plenty of questions to be answered. It’s possible Manning was railroaded, but the allegations need to be addressed in more detail at some point. In addition to Ashley Manning being accused of receiving illegal HGH shipments, there are also more than a few red flags associated with the doctor who runs the Indianapolis clinic where Manning admitted he was treated.

Perhaps Manning will clear his name after the season. But until he does, blindly defending him simply because he’s polite, funny and one of the greatest players in NFL history is an incredibly naive thing to do.