Peyton Manning, in an interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters on Sunday morning, vehemently denied allegations in an Al Jazeera investigative report that an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic supplied him with human growth hormone (HGH) in 2011.
"That stings me whoever this guy is insinuating that I cut corners, I broke NFL rules in order to get healthy," Manning said. "It's a joke. It's a freaking joke."
Manning missed the 2011 NFL season to recover from four neck surgeries and joined the Broncos as a free agent before the start of the 2012 season.
The NFL collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified in 2011, banned the use of HGH, but the league did not begin testing for the substance until 2014.