Peyton Manning received an unwarranted endorsement from Tom Brady of all people as he goes to bat against allegations that he used HGH in 2011.
A report by Deborah Davies of Aljazeera America came out Sunday night and alleged that Manning and other top athletes in sports have doped in the past. In response, the Broncos quarterback called the allegations "garbage" and said he intends to sue the affiliate for its defaming report.
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The feature indicated that Manning secretly had HGH shipped to his wife in 2011 when he was still with the Colts and rehabbing from a neck injury. The 14-time Pro Bowler denied the allegations.
"Any medical treatments that my wife received, that's her business," he told ESPN on Sunday, according to NBC News. "That has nothing to do with me. Nothing that's been sent to her or (that) my wife has used have I ever taken."
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While Manning continues to fend off the rumors, he found an unlikely ally in his on-field nemesis Brady. When appearing on the radio Monday to dissect the Patriots' stunning 26-20 overtime loss to the Jets, the New England signal caller said he "fully supports" Manning.
"I would consider him a good friend, and you hate to see your good friends go through anything like that," Brady said during his weekly interview on WEEI, according to Sports Illustrated. "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.
"I fully support Peyton and my friendship with him over the years. He's a guy I can always count on, and he's been someone who has always been so supportive of me."
Brady may be supporting his fellow legendary quarterback, but his words mean nothing right now. Given the Patriots' sordid history of cheating, whether it be Deflategate, Spygate or anything else, it's hard to take Brady's word, and if anything, it may make Manning seem even guiltier.
Sure, Brady's four-game Deflategate suspension was overturned, but history speaks for itself. Plus, Brady has been disingenuous in the past, at least in private, when it comes to Manning and his career.
"I've got another 7 or 8 years [left to play], He has 2," Brady wrote in an email to a friend from 2014 that was unearthed this past August, according to CBS Sports.
Given his team's history with bending the rules and his personal conversations behind his "good friend's" back, it's hard to take an endorsement from Brady seriously.
