If pursued further, Peyton Manning will cooperate fully with the Al-Jazeera based PED investigation if the NFL asks.
Peyton Manning always had a sterling reputation. He was the NFL’s golden boy; down to earth charm mixed with a dash of aloofness and the ability to laugh at himself. This made Manning a target for many marketing campaigns, and arguably more people knew him for the Nationwide jingle than being one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks.
Manning came under fire early in 2016 when a report from Al-Jazeera linked him to the use of PEDs. Throughout his career Manning was squeaky clean, and being linked to this report was a huge blow to his reputation. The report was quickly forgotten by the general public as the playoffs wore on, but the NFL has clung doggedly to it, and informed the NFLPA that it desires to interview four players mentioned in the report.
According to ESPN.com, if contacted for interview, Peyton Manning will cooperate fully with any investigation the NFL will undertake. Being one of the bigger names listed in the report, it’s telling that Peyton Manning has taken this step of faith and put his neck on the line.
The use of PEDs in sports is a touchy subject. There’s many different substances that athletes take, and any one of them could be banned at any given time. If Peyton Manning did take banned substances maliciously, I would hope that he is disciplined appropriately. However, that’s a very big if.
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