Archie Manning blasts HGH report involving son Peyton
Archie Manning says he believes that his son Peyton Manning never took HGH, lambasting an Al-Jazeera America report that linked the Denver Broncos quarterback to performance-enhancing substances delivered to his wife while he was recovering from neck surgery in 2011.
"I didn't like it. I thought I was some pretty shabby journalism," Archie Manning said on ESPN's Mike & Mike. "Actually, I hadn't done a lot of interviews this year. This is the first time I've been asked about it. But I'm pretty much with him.
"He told me, 'I didn't do that.' I always had a saying when he was going through everything and he had to talk to a lot of different doctors and trainers, and I always said, 'No voodoo.' That was kind of our theme. And he didn't. He said he didn't. He didn't."
Peyton Manning has said he supports an NFL investigation into the report.
"I do welcome it. It's no news to me," Manning said in January. "I still stand by what I said then -- that it's garbage from the first day that it came out, garbage today."
Regarding the reports that Peyton will retire after the Super Bowl, Archie Manning said he hasn't spoken with his son about next year but doesn't think Peyton has made up his mind.
"He'll find the right time to sit down and discuss it. He hasn't talked to me. He'll talk to Ashley," Archie Manning, a former New Orleans Saints quarterback, told SportsCenter later in the day. "I think it will be pretty clear-cut. He loves this game. ... The end of last year being hurt, this year being hurt could affect this. When the time comes, he'll sit down and make the right decision."
One factor that could affect Peyton Manning's decision is the possibility of moving on to a new team. Archie Manning acknowledged that it's unlikely Peyton plays for the Broncos in 2016. Having to deal with the "drama" of changing teams might not be worth it to Peyton, Archie said.
"If this is it, we'll look back and say that was a good ride," Archie Manning said to Mike & Mike. "If he decides he wants to play next year, we'll support him."
