The agent for Peyton Manning strongly denied a report suggesting the quarterback received HGH supplements in 2011 when he was recovering from neck surgery.
News outlet Al Jazeera launched a report called “The Dark Side” that aimed to expose the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in athletics. British hurdler Liam Collins went undercover for the expose and was able to obtain the information by saying he was attempting a run at the 2016 Olympics.
As part of his investigation, Collins connected with Charlie Sly, a pharmacist based in Austin, Texas, who worked at an Indiana-based anti-aging clinic called the Guyer Institute in 2011. According to Huffington Post Sports, Sly told Collins that he was part of the team that helped Manning recover from the neck surgery.
Sly alleges that HGH was mailed to Manning but addressed to his wife, Ashley, so that the quarterback would never be tied to the shipments. Sly also reportedly said Manning and his wife visited the clinic after normal business hours for IV treatments.
Manning’s agent responded to the report by calling the accusations “outrageous and wrong,” Huffington Post says.
“The treatment [Peyton Manning] received at the Guyer Institute was provided on the advice of his physician and with the knowledge of team doctors and trainers,” Manning’s agent told Al Jazeera.
“Any medical treatment received by Ashley is a private matter of hers, her doctor, and her family,” the agent told the outlet.
Manning missed the entire 2011 season and was released by the Indianapolis Colts. He later signed with the Denver Broncos prior to the 2012 season and led the team to a 13-3 record, throwing for 37 touchdowns, his most since 2004. After his surgery, reports said at the time he was struggling to get healthy.
In addition to the allegations against Manning, Al Jazeera’s report fingers several other athletes.
The report says several football players such as Mike Neal, Julius Peppers, Dustin Keller and James Harrison were supplied products such as a new undetectable hormone supplement called Delta-2. Sly also allegedly said the Phillies’ Ryan Howard and the Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman received products, as did Mike Tyson. Al Jazeera reports that Sly said Clay Matthews asked for the painkiller Toradol.
Sly, who was the source of the information for Collins, was contacted by Al Jazeera about the accusations. He said the claims about supplying PEDs to athletes were “false and incorrect.”
Sly went on YouTube and posted this video recording to deny the statements:
