After some initial confusion, it turns out the NFL plans to interview Peyton Manning about an Al Jazeera report linking him and other players in the league to performance-enhancing drugs.
The report named the retired quarterback as one of many athletes to have received PEDs from the Guyer Institute in Indianapolis based on information from a former pharmacy intern. But just as the NFL was getting ready to interview its players named in the report, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported Monday the league had no plans to interview Manning.
But the NFL said otherwise to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Florio via email Monday that the league will in fact interview Manning. The reason some speculated Manning wouldn’t be included is because he’s retired and no longer a member of the NFL Players Association, but McCarthy said that wouldn’t exempt the former Denver Bronco.
There’s no knowing if the league plans to make this a full investigation à la Deflategate or whether it will simply conduct interviews. Current players were named, too, including Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers of the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
