Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was supplied with human growth hormone (HGH), which is banned by the NFL, by an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic, according to a report from Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.
The report is the result of a long investigation by British hurdler Liam Collins, who wanted to expose the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs in global sports through a series of undercover videos.
Manning missed the entire 2011 NFL season after undergoing neck surgery, and the report alleges that he used HGH to help him recover from that injury. Charlie Sly, who worked at the Guyer Institute (an anti-aging clinic in Indiana) in 2011 says, he was "part of the medical team" that helped Manning recover, and says in one of those undercover videos that they sent HGH - along with other drugs - to Manning's wife to keep Peyton's name off of any transactions.
“All the time we would be sending Ashley Manning drugs,” Sly says in the report. “Like growth hormone, all the time, everywhere, Florida. And it would never be under Peyton’s name, it would always be under her name.”
Manning's agent has since called the report "outrageous and wrong," and that the quarterback has never taken HGH. Manning himself released this statement disputing the claims in the report:
“The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up. 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.”
However, Manning is far from the only player named in the report. Sly also claims that Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman took HGH from him. He says Mike Tyson was another one of this clients.
The Huffington Post details how these PED's are able to pass the various drug tests these athletes are subject to:
Collins’ undercover quest took him from the Bahamas, where he connected with a doctor that claimed to supply performance-enhancing drugs to Bahamian Olympic athletes, to Canada, where he met naturopathic physician Brandon Spletzer and pharmacist Chad Robertson, who devised a “cutting edge” drug program for Collins that included up to 10 injections each day.
Collins then connected with Sly, who has “taken smart drugs to a whole new level,” according to Spletzer.
“No one’s got caught, because the system’s so easy to beat,” Robertson, the pharmacist, brags to Collins. “And it still is, that’s the sad fact. I can take a guy with average genetics and make him a world champion.”
Robertson designed a program for Collins that included prescription fertility and hormone drugs, other substances labeled as “not for human consumption” and illegal drugs. Sly, meanwhile, preached the effectiveness of Delta-2, a hormone supplement that is “steroidal in nature” but is not an anabolic steroid, according to online product descriptions.
Sly goes on to say that he provided Delta-2, which is designed to stay ahead of drug tests, to Green Bay Packers defensive end Julius Peppers and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who are just two of the several professional football players they name.
The full report airs on Al-Jazeera on Sunday, December 27th at 9:00 pm ET. See the preview below:
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