Sunday could be a very bad day for one of the most beloved figures in the history of the National Football League.
According to a report scheduled to air Sunday, December 27 on Al Jazeera America, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is among a group of high-profile professional athletes who have used human growth hormone (HGH), a performance-enhancing substance banned by the NFL and every other major North American sports league.
The report, called “The Dark Side,” details a month-long undercover investigation at the Guyer Institute, an Indianapolis-based anti-aging clinic. One of the employees of that clinic, Charlie Sly, is a pharmacist who, according to the documentary, says he was on the medical team that helped Manning recover from the neck surgery that almost ended his career in 2011.
Sly claims the clinic would mail HGH to Manning’s wife Ashley so the record-setting QB would not have his name on them. Al Jazeera says it has undercover video where Sly also claims both Peyton and Ashley Manning would come to the Guyer Institute after hours to receive IV treatments.
Manning is not the only professional athlete named in the report. Packers defensive end Julius Peppers and Steelers linebacker James Harrison are implicated, as are MLB All-Stars Ryan Howard of the Phillies and Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals. Sly even claims he gave HGH to former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
The documentary claims to have video of backup catcher Taylor Teagarden, who played last season with the Cubs, openly talking about his use of performance-enhancing substances.
Sly has since backtracked, saying any recording of statements he may have made about athletes were taken without his knowledge and he is, “… recanting any such statements and there is no truth to any statement of mine that Al Jazeera plans to air.”
The videos were taken by Liam Collins, a British hurdler who entered the clinic under the guise of wanting to make one more run at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Collins was also a contestant in 2009 on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent but was declared bankrupt due to his involvement in a property investment scheme.
Given his recent issues and the recanting of Sly there does exist the possibility that the claims Sly made were simply made by a man trying to look impressive in front of people, or the videos were staged by Collins, and therefore would lay the groundwork for one heck of a lawsuit. However, if the information is true it could dismantle the squeaky clean public image Manning has been able to build for himself.
It should be noted that Manning’s career was in jeopardy after the 2011 surgery but he signed with Denver and put together three of the best seasons of his career. From 2012-2014 Manning threw 131 touchdown passes, far and away the most in the NFL. Manning also recorded three of the four highest passing yard totals of his 18-year career during that span.
The NFL started testing for HGH in October of 2014 but nobody has tested positive yet. Part of the problem is the effectiveness of the testing system. Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said, “You pretty much have to be a fool to test positive,” with the way the HGH testing is set up.
Manning responded through a personal statement made available by the Broncos to NBC's Pro Football Talk.
“The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up,” Manning said. “It never happened. Never. I really can’t believe somebody would put something like this on the air. Whoever said this is making stuff up.”
So far the other athletes who have been implicated have either denied any wrongdoing or not responded to requests for comment. “The Dark Side” is scheduled to air at 6 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday on Al Jazeera America.
