The NFL season is heating up with the playoffs mere days away from happening. While the Denver Broncos attempt to continue with their Super Bowl run this football season, Peyton Manning is plagued with issues that might affect not only his year but also his entire career in the sport. In a report released by Al Jazeera, the quarterback was named as one of the players who are using human growth hormone (HGH) - a drug strictly prohibited by the NFL.
Manning, who has been battling it out with Brock Osweiler for the top quarterback post in the Denver Broncos roster, is once again shoved into the spotlight. This time around, however, the reports do not merely contain allegations of his rumored rift against Tom Brady from the New England Patriots. The reports now threaten to practically eliminate all the years of hard work Manning put into his NFL career.
The investigative report, which was spearheaded by Deborah Davies of Al Jazeera, accused Manning of taking HGH. The drugs were claimed to have been delivered to the football star's wife, Ashley Manning, from the Guyer Institute. Following the release of the report, Manning vehemently denied the allegations. His claims were backed by Dr. Dale Guyer, who also belied the statements of Al Jazeera's purported source, a man named Charlie Sly.
The Denver Broncos also moved to defend their star quarterback. In a statement via ESPN, the NFL team slammed the report and insisted that "Peyton does things the right way." They further noted, "Knowing Peyton Manning and everything he stands for, the Denver Broncos support him 100 percent. These are false claims made to Al Jazeera, and we don't believe the report. Peyton is rightfully outraged by the allegations, which he emphatically denied to our organization and which have been publicly renounced by the source who initially provided them."
The Indianapolis Colts also expressed their support of the football star. They shared, "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." The Andrew Luck team also alluded to the 14 years of star of Manning and shared that the quarterback "never took any shortcuts."
In fact, even Brady shared his opinion on the report. The New England Patriots star said via CBS Sports, "I have a lot of personal thoughts that really are personal to me. Peyton, I would consider him a good friend. You hate to see your good friends go through anything like that. He's been a great player for this league, for his teams, for his organizations. He's been one of the best players to ever play the game."
Amid the issues, fans of Manning believe that the quarterback remains strong not only due to his loved ones' support but also because of his faith. In his book, called Manning, the Denver Broncos star shared that his love for football will never take precedent over his faith, family and friends. He also disclosed that his faith will always take the top spot in his life.
He wrote, "My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: 'If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you'd go to heaven?'" Further in the book, he revealed, "And I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since."
What do you think? Will Manning win in this battle against Al Jazeera? Or will the HGH allegations spell doom for the Denver Broncos quarterback?
