NFL: Peyton Manning linked to PEDs

Peyton Manning owns a number of passing records in the NFL. Photo / Getty

A documentary about to screen in the United States has linked American football star Peyton Manning to performance-enhancing drugs.

The Huffington Post and other major American media websites are abuzz with the story which links an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic to the supply of human growth hormone, which is banned by the National Football League, in a new special report from Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.

The report, "The Dark Side," is the result of a months long investigation in which Liam Collins, a British hurdler, went undercover in an attempt to expose the widespread nature of performance-enhancing drugs in global sports.

The Huffington Post has seen a preview of the report and claims that as a cover story, Collins tells medical professionals tied to the trade of performance-enhancing drugs that he is hoping for one last shot at glory at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeirol.

Manning is just one of many high-profile players the report names and raises questions about.

The report is set to air in the United States tonight.

The Post reports that as part of the Al Jazeera investigation, Collins connected with Charlie Sly, a pharmacist based in Austin, Texas, who worked at the Guyer Institute, the Indiana-based anti-aging clinic, in 2011.

Manning missed the 2011 season, when he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts, after undergoing neck surgery. In the documentary, Sly tells Collins, who is taking secret video of his interactions, that he was "part of a medical team that helped [Manning] recover" from the surgery. Sly alleges that the clinic mailed growth hormone and other drugs to Manning's wife, Ashley Manning, so that the quarterback's name was never attached to them.

"All the time we would be sending Ashley Manning drugs," Sly says in the video. "Like growth hormone, all the time, everywhere, Florida. And it would never be under Peyton's name, it would always be under her name."

Manning and his wife also came to the clinic after its normal business hours for intravenous treatments, Sly tells Collins on the undercover video.

Manning left the Colts after the 2011 season to sign with Denver. The NFL banned human growth hormone as part of its 2011 collective bargaining agreement with players, but did not begin testing for it until 2014. No player has ever tested positive.

It would never be under Peyton's name, it would always be under her name."

Manning's agent denied the details of the report to Al Jazeera, calling Sly's assertions "outrageous and wrong."

Manning "has never done what this person is suggesting," his agent told Al Jazeera. "The treatment he received at the Guyer Institute was provided on the advice of his physician and with the knowledge of team doctors and trainers."

"Any medical treatment received by Ashley is a private matter of hers, her doctor, and her family," the agent said.

The Post says that "in a stunning scene", Taylor Teagarden, an eight-year MLB veteran, appears in one of the undercover videos, openly discussing his use of performance-enhancing drugs during the previous season.