The Indianapolis Colts defended Peyton Manning Sunday in response to the Al Jazeera report that he took HGH (human growth hormone) in 2011 while recovering from neck surgeries.
The statement comes from Avis Roper, the team’s Senior Director of Communications, via FOX59.com.
“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. 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.”
The “source” Roper referenced here is a man named Charlie Sly, who called Liam Collins (the investigator and former Olympic hurdler) “a recruited fraudster.” He came out with a YouTube video (watch here) reading a prepared statement of his own in which he says Collins recorded him secretly without his knowledge.
The Denver Broncos released a statement earlier on Sunday similar in tone to the one released by the Colts. Manning himself has called the allegations “defamation” and is not surprisingly outraged by the entire report.