ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that, after a seven-month investigation, the NFL has concluded that former quarterback Peyton Manning did not use human-growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing drug.
The probe was spurred by “The Dark Side: The Secret World of Sports Doping,” a documentary that aired in December on the now-defunct Al Jazeera America network. In the film, a pharmacist named Charlie Sly boasted about helping pro football and baseball players cheat and, in one scene, implied that Manning took human growth hormone that was prescribed by an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic and shipped to Manning’s wife, Ashley. Sly has since recanted his statements, and some of the other athletes mentioned in the documentary – the Washington Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman and Philadelphia Phillies’ Ryan Howard – have since sued Al Jazeera for libel.
Manning has issued multiple denials — calling the documentary “complete trash, garbage” at one point — and hired private investigators to interrogate Sly even before the documentary aired. Manning retired after helping lead the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl title in February.
According to an NFL statement, Manning and his wife were “fully cooperative with the investigation.” The league also received medical records pertinent to the case, Schefter reports, and “determined there wasn’t any evidence that any violation had occurred.
“Initiated in January, the investigation was led by the NFL’s security and legal teams with support from expert consultants and other professionals. The investigation involved witness interviews, a review of relevant records and other materials, online research, and laboratory analysis and review. Separately, the NFL’s investigation continues into the documentary’s allegations made against other NFL players, which involve different lines of inquiry and witnesses,” the league’s statement reads.
Four other NFL players — Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, Steelers linebacker James Harrison and free-agent defensive lineman Mike Neal — were named in the documentary, and the league has said they must submit to interviews. In a signed affidavit, Harrison denied ever meeting Sly and said he’s never violated the league’s police on performance-enhancing drugs.
In a statement, the NFL Players’ Association issued a statement saying it has no control over Manning’s cooperation with the league investigation as a retired player. The NFLPA is fighting the league’s request to interview the other four players.
“As a former player, Peyton Manning is free to do whatever he believes is in his best interest,” the statement read. “The Union knows that he understands the rights of players under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and would never do anything to hurt or undermine active players in support of those rights.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Matt Bonesteel
