Tom Brady is no stranger to NFL controversy, so he feels for Peyton Manning.
An Al Jazeera report Sunday named Peyton Manning as one of a number of athletes who received human growth hormone from an Indianapolis-based anti-aging clinic in 2011. The pharmacist intern who made the claim has since said he lied, and the Denver Broncos quarterback angrily denied the accusations Sunday on ESPN.
But either way, Manning has a friend in Brady.
“I have a lot of personal thoughts that really are personal to me,” Brady said on WEEI’s “Dennis & Callahan” on Monday. “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.
“Nobody has more respect for Peyton than I do and everything that he’s accomplished. There’s always challenging times, but he’s a tough guy. I know that. He’s a very mentally and physically tough guy. … He’s a big boy. He knows how to handle these things.”
The New England Patriots quarterback added that he supports Manning because of their close relationship, but he was careful not to include his opinion on the situation.
“I fully support Peyton,” Brady said. “My friendship with him over the years, he’s a guy that I can always count on and has been someone that’s always been so supportive of me. We’ll have lifelong friendships. Truthfully, I don’t put much into anything. I have a lot of friends, I have a lot of support, and he is the same. I’m a big fan and supporter of his. That’s how I really feel about everything.”
Manning’s reaction was similar when Brady was going through the whole Deflategate saga after last season’s AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Manning wouldn’t speak specifically about the allegations of Brady deflating footballs but he did say “he’ll always be my friend.”
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
