Dale Guyer, Peyton Manning’s doctor, once linked to illegal HGH shipments

There has been no definitive proof that Peyton Manning is guilty of taking human growth hormone or any other banned substance, but it sure sounds like the man in charge of the clinic where Manning was treated has been involved with some shady business.

Dr. Leonard Dale Guyer, the founder of the Guyer Institute in Indianapolis, was once linked to a federal court case involving the shipment of illegal HGH. The Indy Star reviewed a federal indictment from 2007 that included Guyer’s name. The indictment alleged that Thomas Bader, owner of College Pharmacy in Colorado Springs, sent Guyer illegal Chinese HGH in February 2007. A jury found Bader guilty in 2010 and he was sentenced to 40 months in prison.

HGH can only be prescribed legally for a select handful of conditions. No one in Manning’s camp has denied that Peyton’s wife Ashley received HGH from the Guyer Institute. Manning did, however, emphatically state that he has never taken any drug that was prescribed to his wife and that he took part in legal rehab activities at the Guyer Institute under the supervision of the Colts.

In addition to having his name turn up in a federal indictment, Guyer has also had tax liens filed against him for hundreds of thousands of dollars. He has been going through a complicated divorce for six years, and his wife’s attorney has accused Guyer of not filing tax returns “personally and/or for his multiple businesses since 2006.”

“Dr. Guyer is not exactly the easiest person to resolve issues with,” Brian Zoeller, the attorney for Guyer’s estranged wife Lisa, told The Indianapolis Star. “In 20 years (of practicing divorce law), I’ve never had a case that has gone this long.”

What does all this mean for Manning? Perhaps nothing. Or, it could reflect poorly on him that he is somehow associated with a doctor who received illegal shipments of HGH, especially when Manning has been accused of using HGH himself.

Manning’s feelings on being accused of cheating were made very clear in this emotional interview. But even if the majority of people seem to believe him, the NFL would be unwise to ignore the fact that Manning was treated by a non-league doctor who does not exactly have a squeaky-clean record.