NFL icon Peyton Manning was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs by his former pharmacist. However, the league cleared him after a detailed 7-month long investigation.
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Peyton Manning is an iconic quarterback who made a name for himself at the highest level. Nicknamed “The Sheriff,” Peyton was active for almost two decades in the league.
Although he was with the Broncos for four years in the final phase of his career, the 14-year stint he had with the Indianapolis colts really established him as one of greats of the game.
The two-time Super Bowl champion who currently has a gigantic net worth of $250 million, was named the most valuable player of the league on five occasions. He broke innumerable records during his illustrious career.
However, back in 2016, Peyton was named in what could have turned out to be a massive controversy. He was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs during the 2011 season.
Peyton Manning was accused of having HGH mailed to him by former pharmacist
Al Jazeera America came up with a documentary titled “The Dark Side” in which one of Peyton’s former pharmacists reportedly claimed that he provided performance-enhancing drugs to Manning by mailing them to his wife.
He accused Manning os using HGH (human growth hormone) during the 2011 season when he was recovering from a neck surgery. HGH is a doping drug which was banned by the NFL back in 1991
It is said that HGH aids in muscle building and also improves metabolic function. However, scientific evidences to verify such claims are not available in abundance.
The allegations against Manning were made by a man who was, at that time, an employee at the Guyer Institute of Molecular Medicine. He even claimed that he shipped HGH to a number of NFL stars along with Peyton.
Peyton and other players involved in the controversy categorically denied all the allegations. The NFL decided to launch an investigation into the matter.
However, the league had started testing for HGH only in 2014, even when it was banned in 1991 only. So proving any of the allegations was a tough task.
After a seven-month investigation, the NFL claimed that ‘no credible evidence” was found that could prove Manning guilty. As a result, he was eventually cleared.
Manning decided to retire from the sport back in March, 2016.
