Peyton Manning Gleans Support From Tom Brady In Human Growth Hormone Allegations

A friendship, despite opposition of Super Bowl L between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, is an undeterred brotherhood. Fans all remember the four-game suspension Tom Brady endured for his alleged deflated football prior to Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks. Bad publicity aside, New England won the big game. CBS Sports reports Peyton Manning’s statement on the matter.

“I’ve said it before: Tom is a friend of mine. He’ll always be a friend of mine,” Manning said at the time. “It’s a situation that I don’t know all the details. I have not read all of the reports, any of the reports, and our friendship won’t change no matter what happens.”

Now, it’s time for Tom Brady to step up to the plate — or, kickoff in this game — and return the favor for his buddy Peyton Manning. The Broncos superstar, supposedly recovering from a neck injury four years ago, had the HGH (Human Growth Hormone) mailed to his wife, Ashley Manning. This is according to Al Jazeera, one of the largest newspapers in the world, and considered a “propaganda” paper by many people.

Digging a little deeper, it turns out that Brady may not just be panning Peyton Manning out of the coals, but the significance of his defense holds water. Charlie Sly was a pharmaceutical intern working for Dr. Dale Guyer from February until May of 2013, unpaid. Sly, being the central source of the allegations, reported his eye-witness report to Al Jazeera’s undercover reporter who went hog wild. Apparently, they hadn’t anticipated Brady’s support for his friend, Manning. Sly told ESPN that he “made up” the accusation about Peyton Manning, according to CNN Money. Sly also admitted he wasn’t a pharmacist and wasn’t working at the shop in Indiana during 2011. This is when Manning’s wife supposedly purchased the procured HGH.

Although Guyer’s statement didn’t specify the drugs Ashley Manning picked up, he could report with absolute certainty that the allegations were not true. Public records, however, reveal that Sly was a licensed pharmaceutical intern from 2010 until about 2013.

Manning became so perturbed by the allegations and the landslide of reporters that he finally threatened to sue Al Jazeera for defamation of character. Al Jazeera made no comment on Sly taking back his initial allegations or Manning’s legal threat. They seem to be quite content with the stir the controversy has created.

An investigative reporter named Deborah Davies offered to clear everything up by asking a few simple questions of Peyton Manning; although, some would consider it infringing. She asked how much HGH was shipped to his home and on what dates? How much money was spent on the growth hormone? Then, she managed to be surprised that Manning refused to answer. She pushed on by asking what condition Ashley Manning had requiring use of the drug. Manning reported, short and to the point, that his wife’s medical treatments are none of the reporter’s business.

AJAM, the Al Jazeera paper, continues pecking at Manning’s wound incessantly while having only about 30,000 viewers. Despite Manning being the NFL’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns and one of the biggest names in football for over a decade, these allegations come as a major blow to his respectability.

Meanwhile, the question of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady stirs up another controversial question: “Is this going to have a major drawback for Manning in the upcoming Super Bowl?” After all, HGH is banned from the use for all players on the field. We’ll have to hope that Tom Brady’s support can conjure up enough fan support to keep Peyton Manning where he belongs—on the field of Super Bowl L.

[Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]