Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is strongly denying a claim in a documentary alleging that he was among a number of professional athletes who were provided human growth hormone, or HGH, by an Indiana doctor.
“It’s completely fabricated. Complete trash, garbage,” Manning told ESPN on Sunday.
HGH in itself is not illegal, but is banned in many professional sports, including the NFL since 2011.
That is that same year that, according to a documentary by Al Jazeera America and slated to air Sunday night, the star quarterback used the performance-enhancing drug to aid his recovery from multiple surgeries.
Manning is not alone in denying the allegation of HGH use — the doctor and even the source who made the claim to Al Jazeera called the report false.
Allegations from clinic employee
Al Jazeera’s report, “The Dark Side,” claims the network’s explosive report is based in part on conversations captured on hidden camera.
Dr. Dale Guyer is the owner of the Guyer Institute, an anti-aging clinic in Indianapolis.
Former Guyer Institute employee Charlie Sly alleges Manning and other athletes were provided with HGH from the clinic by mail. Sly claimed the packages were sent to Manning — then a player for the Indianapolis Colts — under his wife’s name, Ashley Manning.
In the documentary, Sly tells Al Jazeera about the drugs Guyer allegedly would provide his cleints.
“Like growth hormone, all the time, everywhere…” Sly said in the report. “And it would never be under Peyton’s name. it would always be under her name.”
In a video statement posted on YouTube, Sly recanted his story.
“The statements on any recordings or communications that Al Jazeera plans to air are absolutely false and incorrect,” Sly said.
Colts: Report is ‘utterly ridiculous’
The Colts, the Broncos and Guyer all released statements Sunday denying the allegations in the story and giving their backing to Manning.
“The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up. It never happened. Never,” Manning said in a statement released by the Broncos. “I really can’t believe somebody would put something like this on air. Whoever said this is making stuff up.”
The statement did not deny that HGH was mailed to Ashley Manning, but said that her medical needs and prescriptions were her own private business.
His former team, the Colts, said: “We’ve been made aware of the recent Al Jazeera report concerning Peyton Manning and find it utterly ridiculous. We are thoroughly familiar with Peyton’s tireless work habits, his medical history, and, most importantly, his integrity.”
Guyer, for his part, denied that Sly had ever been an employee, but only an unpaid intern who worked in his office for three months.
