Following an overnight report by Al Jazeera that Peyton Manning, among other major athletes, has used human growth hormone to recover from his neck injury, the Indianapolis Colts felt the need to comment on the allegations with the following statement:
We’ve been made aware of the recent Al Jazeera report concerning Peyton Manning and find it utterly ridiculous,” the statement read. “We are thoroughly familiar with Peyton’s tireless work habits, his medical history, and, most importantly, his integrity. Peyton played the game in Indianapolis for 14 years the right way. He never took any shortcuts and it would be absurd to suggest he would have taken prohibited performance enhancing drugs. We also note that the ‘source’ of this allegation has since recanted his story. The entire Indianapolis Colts organization and the Irsay family hope this crude effort to besmirch Peyton’s reputation will not be permitted to tarnish the legacy of a great Colt.
It’s an odd thing to do, particularly from Peyton’s former, not current, team, but perhaps the Colts felt the need to cover themselves since the report mentioned he used HGH while still a Colt.
Regardless, it goes a long way toward showing there was never any animosity in the decision to let the future Hall of Fame quarterback go to Denver back in 2012. There’s still a lot to be learned about this story in the coming weeks, but so far it’s clear Jim Irsay and the Colts have Manning’s back.
