Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has been cleared by the NFL of allegations he used human growth hormone, the league announced Monday.
In December, Al Jazeera reported that Manning’s wife, Ashley, received shipments of HGH from an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic. The report also said several other NFL players used HGH.
The NFL announced in January, ahead of the Broncos playing in Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers, that it would conduct an investigation into the allegations.
The league’s seven-month investigation concluded that there was no evidence Manning used HGH or any other performance-enhancing drug, the league said in a statement Monday.
The NFL said it interviewed Manning and his wife, who were “fully cooperative with the investigation.” The league also reviewed medical records in association with the investigation.
After several interviews and reviewing the documents, it was determined there was no evidence of any violations being broken.
Manning vehemently denied he used HGH when the allegations surfaced, and there was a report that Manning hired investigators to look into Al Jazeera’s source.
“The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up,” Manning said in December. “It never happened. Never. I really can’t believe somebody would put something like this on the air. Whoever said this is making stuff up.”
Al Jazeera cited an intern with the anti-aging clinic as its source. The intern, Charles Sly, later recanted his story.
Manning helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers, 24-10, on Feb. 7.
In early March, Manning announced his retirement.
