Manning: "That stings me whoever this guy is insinuating that I cut corners" 
 
 Peyton Manning (18) of the Denver Broncos watches the action from the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of play at Heinz Field. ( AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post ) 
 
 Peyton Manning, in an interview with ESPN on Sunday, vehemently denied allegations in an al-Jazeera report that an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic supplied him with human growth hormone in 2011. 
 
 "It's completely fabricated. Complete trash, garbage," Manning said. "There are some more adjectives I'd like to be able to use, but it really makes me sick. It makes me sick that it brings Ashley (his wife) into it, her medical history, her medical privacy being violated." 
 
 According to the al-Jazeera documentary " The Dark Side," British hurdler Liam Collins went undercover to expose the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. As part of his report, Collins met with Charles Sly, a man labeled in the documentary as a former pharmacist at the Guyer Institute in Indianapolis. Sly said he mailed HGH to Manning's wife, Ashley, to avoid any link to the quarterback. 
 
 Manning said Sunday he never has met Sly and had never heard of him before the report was published. 
 
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 "Any medical treatment that my wife receives, that's her business," Manning said. "It has nothing to do with me. I have my treatments that I do. She may have hers, and that's her business. There's no connection between the two. I'd love to understand why this guy is saying this, why he's making it up, that he admits that he makes it up and yet it still becomes a story. I'd like to be told and explained that." 
 
 Manning missed the 2011 NFL season to recover from four neck surgeries and joined the Broncos as a free agent before the 2012 season. 
 
 The NFL added HGH to its list of banned substances in 1991, but the league and players did not agree on testing until 2011, when they ratified the collective bargaining agreement. Testing was not implemented until 2014. 
 
 Manning acknowledged that he was a patient of the Guyer Institute to help his recovery from the neck surgeries but was adamant he did not receive any performance-enhancing drugs. 
 
 "The time ended up being probably my best medicine, along with a lot of hard work, and that really stings me that whoever this guy is insinuating I cut corners, I broke NFL rules, in order to get healthy," Manning said. "It's a joke. It's a freaking joke." 
 
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 Sly later recanted the allegations in a video statement, saying they were "false and incorrect." Sly said Collins took advantage of him during a vulnerable time in his life after the death of his fiancée. 
 
 Ari Fleischer, who heads a sports communications company and is an adviser to Manning, slammed the accusations in an interview with The Denver Post on Saturday night, calling the report "junk journalism." Online records show Sly was licensed as a pharmacy intern in Indiana from April 27, 2010, to May 1, 2013. According to Fleischer, Sly was an unpaid intern at the Guyer Institute in 2013 from February to May. Sly confirmed to ESPN on Saturday that he worked at the institute in 2013, not in 2011, as the al-Jazeera report alleges. Manning was a patient of the institute in fall 2011 for rehabilitation from the neck surgeries but has not been back since, Fleischer said. 
 
 Dr. Dale Guyer, in a statement released Sunday, corroborated those accounts, while also denouncing the al-Jazeera report: 
 
 "I have no reason to believe these allegations are based in fact or have any truth. In fact, I can say with absolute certainty they are not," Guyer said. "I find it extremely disturbing that the source of al-Jazeera's story, a former unpaid intern named Charles Sly, would violate the privacy of Mrs. Manning's medical records and be so callous and destructive as to purposely fabricate and spread stories that are simply not true." 
 
 In Sunday's ESPN interview, Manning detailed the treatments he received and disputed the claim that he and his wife visited the clinic after normal business hours to receive intravenous treatments. 
 
 "Hyperbaric chamber. Went with the Colts trainers, Colts doctors," Manning told ESPN. "Hyperbaric chamber. Something called (EECP, enhanced external counterpulsation), which is supposed to create blood flow in your muscles. You're supposed to do 35 consecutive days of treatments. I did all 35 days, for an hour of treatment." 
 
 Manning said he received treatments, which also included nutrient intravenous therapies, at 9 a.m. daily, and all were authorized by the Colts. 
 
 "They knew about it. They went with me," Manning said. "Anything else this guy is insinuating is complete garbage." 
 
 In speaking to ESPN on Sunday, Manning acknowledged the air of skepticism that often follows the success of athletes but continued to strongly deny any wrongdoing. 
 
 "I can't speak for any other athlete," he said. "I know what I've done. I know how hard I've worked during my 18 years of playing in the NFL. There are no shortcuts in the NFL. I've done it the long way. I've done it the hard way. Insinuating anything otherwise is a complete and total joke. It's defamation, and it really ticks me off." 
 
 Shortly before the interview, the Broncos released a statement saying the team supports him "100 percent" and that "these are false claims made to al-Jazeera, and we don't believe the report." 
 
 Later Sunday, the Colts also released a statement, saying Manning "never took any shortcuts, and it would be absurd to suggest he would have taken prohibited performance-enhancing drugs." 
 
 Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala ||||| Chris Mortensen breaks down his conversations with Peyton Manning and Charlie Sly, the source for an Al Jazeera story that names Manning as a recipient of an HGH shipment in 2011. (3:39) 
 
 Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has been listed in an Al Jazeera undercover probe as one of several prominent professional athletes alleged to have been supplied illegal performance-enhancing drugs from an Indiana-based anti-aging clinic. 
 
 Manning said his feelings about the allegations range from "angry, furious ... disgusted is really how I feel, sickened by it" in an interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters on Sunday morning. 
 
 The documentary, which was posted online early Sunday morning and aired on television later in the day, alleges that Manning was given a supply of human growth hormone in 2011 while he was recovering from surgery that year from a man identified by Al Jazeera as a pharmacist employed at the Guyer Institute in Indianapolis. The report cites a man named Charlie Sly, who allegedly spoke to an undercover reporter working for the network. 
 
 "It stings me, whoever this guy is, to insinuate that I cut corners, I broke NFL rules in order to get healthy," Manning said, reiterating that he did not use HGH. "It's a joke. It's a freaking joke." 
 
 Sly told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that he isn't a pharmacist and wasn't at the Guyer Institute in 2011, as Al Jazeera claimed. State licensing records indicate that a Charles David Sly was licensed as a pharmacy intern in Indiana from April 2010 to May 2013. His license expired May 1, 2013. 
 
 "The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up," Peyton Manning said of Al Jazeera's contention that he received HGH during his recovery from neck fusion surgeries in 2011. "It never happened." Dustin Bradford/Getty Images 
 
 Sly also said he recanted his story to Al Jazeera when he realized that it had used information he had "made up" to British hurdler Liam Collins, the undercover reporter who Sly said was trying to get into the supplementation business. 
 
 "When I was there, I had never seen the Mannings ever," Sly said. "They were not even living there at that time. Someone who worked there said they had been there before. That was the extent of any knowledge I had. I feel badly. I never saw any files. This is just amazing that it reached this point." 
 
 Al Jazeera's report, titled "The Dark Side," contends that steroids and other drugs were shipped to the home address of Manning in 2011 in the name of his wife, Ashley, so that his name was never attached to the shipments. Sly, now based in Austin, Texas, also said in the undercover video that Manning and his wife went to the clinic after its normal business hours for intravenous treatments. 
 
 "The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up," Manning told Mortensen on Saturday night. "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." 
 
 Manning went on to say: "Yes, I have been a patient under Dr. Guyer. I have had nutrient therapy, oxygen therapy and other treatments that are holistic in nature, but never HGH. My wife has never provided any medication for me to take. Ashley and I never attended the clinic together after hours. There were times when I went in the morning and there were times when I went after practice so this thing about 'after hours' is so misleading because it may have been 5:15 p.m. because their office closed at 5." 
 
 Al Jazeera America aired the report Sunday, as planned. 
 
 Dr. Dale Guyer released a statement Sunday, emphasizing that Sly "was never an employee of the Guyer Institute." 
 
 "I have no reason to believe these allegations are based in fact or have any truth," Guyer said. "In fact, I can say with absolute certainty they are not. I find it extremely disturbing that the source of Al Jazeera's story, a former unpaid intern named Charles Sly, would violate the privacy of Mrs. Manning's medical records and be so callous and destructive as to purposely fabricate and spread stories that are simply not true. 
 
 "I would emphasize that Mr. Sly was never an employee of the Guyer Institute and his brief three-month internship occurred in 2013 during which time Peyton was not even being treated or present in the office. I think it is obvious that Mr. Sly has fabricated this whole thing for reasons I cannot fathom. I am proud to have treated Peyton and helped him through his rehabilitation. Mr. Manning is one of the most honorable and upstanding individuals I have had the pleasure of knowing." 
 
 The Broncos also defended Manning in a statement Sunday, saying, "Peyton does things the right way." 
 
 "Knowing Peyton Manning and everything he stands for, the Denver Broncos support him 100 percent," the team said. "These are false claims made to Al Jazeera, and we don't believe the report. 
 
 "Peyton is rightfully outraged by the allegations, which he emphatically denied to our organization and which have been publicly renounced by the source who initially provided them." 
 
 The Colts also issued a statement defending Manning, who spent 14 seasons in Indianapolis before signing with Denver in 2012. 
 
 "We've been made aware of the recent Al Jazeera report concerning Peyton Manning and find it utterly ridiculous," the Colts' statement said. "We are thoroughly familiar with Peyton's tireless work habits, his medical history, and, most importantly, his integrity. 
 
 "Peyton played the game in Indianapolis for 14 years the right way. He never took any shortcuts and it would be absurd to suggest he would have taken prohibited performance-enhancing drugs. We also note that the 'source' of this allegation has since recanted his story. The entire Indianapolis Colts organization and the Irsay family hope this crude effort to besmirch Peyton's reputation will not be permitted to tarnish the legacy of a great Colt." 
 
 In the documentary, Sly also mentioned Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman and boxer Mike Tyson as athletes who received HGH shipments from him while he worked at the Guyer Institute. 
 
 Sly said he was "testing" Al Jazeera's undercover reporter by dropping "names like Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard and James Harrison." He said none were clients. While Manning, Howard and Harrison were mentioned in Al Jazeera's HGH investigation, Jeter was not. 
 
 "When I realized Al Jazeera was using a secret taping and Collins as a so-called investigative reporter, I was baffled," Sly said. "I cannot believe that can happen. That's why I recanted the story. It wasn't true, and I was trying to pull one over on Collins to see if he had any idea of what he was talking about. 
 
 "I was trying to determine whether this guy [Collins] was legitimate or just trying to steal some knowledge about the business." 
 
 Manning's agent, in a statement issued Saturday night, echoed Manning's reaction. 
 
 "The allegation reported by Al Jazeera naming Peyton is absolutely false, and it recounts behavior and events that never occurred," Tom Condon said in the release. "The implications suggested by Al Jazeera are outrageous and baseless. Their source has already retracted his statements, as well as advised Al Jazeera those statements were meritless. 
 
 "Any further reporting of this matter is a retelling of falsehoods and fiction and complicity in the lack of journalistic ethics demonstrated by Al Jazeera." 
 
 The report links several other athletes to HGH and other drugs, including Green Bay Packers linebacker Mike Neal, who allegedly introduced teammates Julius Peppers and others to Sly. The report also mentions Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Peppers and Neal as athletes who received shipments of a new performance-enhancing drug called Delta-2 from Sly. 
 
 The report goes on to say that Sly furnished Clay Matthews with painkillers and that Howard, Zimmerman and Tyson received drugs from Sly. 
 
 Matthews's reaction mirrored Manning's and the two other Packers named in the report. 
 
 "I think it's bull---- to be completely honest with you," Matthews said. "It's 100 percent falsified, fabricated information. I don't who this guy is. I couldn't tell you what he looks like. I've never talked with him. I've never communicated with him. So for him to bring my name up like that, which appears to be out of thin air, it's bull---- for a lack of a better term. 
 
 "I work hard on my reputation and really that's all I have. For seven years, I've worked my ass off. For this guy to say those type of things, it's just not true and especially for him to recant everything that he said, too, I think it really just goes to show the (type of) source he is, as well. The truth will come out and I'm not worried about it because I carry myself a certain way and that is the right way." 
 
 After the Steelers' 20-17 loss to the Ravens, Harrison also denied the allegations, calling them "disappointing." 
 
 "You have to check your facts before you write something like that," Harrison said. "Just because somebody says it doesn't mean it's true. Now I have to fight it because I look like I could be [doing it]." 
 
 Zimmerman and Howard also denied the allegations to the network. 
 
 William Burck, the attorney for both Harrison and Zimmerman, called the report "inexcusable and irresponsible" and said Al Jazeera had broadcast "outright lies." 
 
 "The extraordinarily reckless claims made against our clients in this report are completely false and rely on a source who has already recanted his claims," Burck said. "We will go to court to hold Al Jazeera and other responsible parties accountable for smearing our clients' good names." 
 
 The Phillies also released a statement Sunday night in support of Howard. 
 
 "Ryan Howard has vigorously denied the allegations contained in tonight's airing of Al Jazeera's report titled 'The Dark Side,'" the team said. "Ryan has spent his whole career with the Phillies and, during that entire time, has been an extremely well respected member of our team and an outstanding contributor to our community. We will fully cooperate with any investigation conducted by Major League Baseball and will refer all further questions to them concerning the Al Jazeera report." 
 
 Peppers said he was a "little bit shocked." 
 
 "It's completely erroneous, and I think it's irresponsible journalism, in my opinion," Peppers said. "I'm subject to the same steroid and drug-testing policy as everybody else, so I don't understand how I could be linked to something like this. I do not know anybody that's involved in this. I just heard about it. I don't really have all the details about it. I'm not really sure about where it came from and all of that stuff. I just wanted to put it out there that it's not true." 
 
 Neal was a little more vague, saying, "I don't know anybody that's involved in this." 
 
 Sly maintains that Collins manufactured the story. He said Collins promised to bring over wealthy, injured European athletes and that Sly could make money by consulting with them. Sly said at first he was trying to impress Collins, but when he became aware of some earlier Collins deals, he was worried that Collins would try to cut him out. 
 
 "I had a feeling he would try to cut me out if I gave him quality information he could use," Sly told Mortensen. "I have had people steal my knowledge before in the past, and this is a strategy I have to use." 
 
 He said neither Collins nor Al Jazeera paid him. 
 
 "I drove with Liam to Houston and then to Dallas," Sly said. "During the road trip .... he was really pressing me with a lot of questions, and I was dishing out a lot of disinformation. He kept on pressing me on naming athletes I worked with. He said it was very important so he could feel confident sending his European athletes over. I just started to tell him disinformation stories about athletes. None of it was true. 
 
 "I obviously did not know that I was being secretly recorded." 
 
 The NFL and players' union added HGH testing to the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011, but the sides didn't agree to testing terms until 2014. Nobody has tested positive, which would trigger a four-game suspension. 
 
 Manning, who joined the Broncos in 2012, has been sidelined since Nov. 15 by a left foot injury. Brock Osweiler will make his sixth consecutive start in Manning's place Monday night when the Broncos (10-4) host the Cincinnati Bengals (11-3). 
 
 ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Rob Demovsky contributed to this report. ||||| Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit does not report the news. It makes the news. We reveal secrets and expose truths surrounded by silence. 
 
 The unit serves the public interest by uncovering malfeasance, wrongdoing and abuses of power. 
 
 We have teams in Doha, London and Washington DC. The stories we have produced have led the global news agenda. 
 
 Our staff members have won dozens of major journalism accolades. They include Emmy awards and recognition from the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA), the Royal Television Society (RTS) and the Monte Carlo Television Festival. ||||| Posted by Mike Florio on December 27, 2015, 7:26 PM EDT 
 
 Earlier on Sunday, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning described the HGH allegations made against him as “defamation,” a legal term of art that invites the question of whether he plans to sue. 
 
 Peter King of TheMMQB.com and NBC’s Football Night in America asked Manning whether he’ll sue, and here’s what Peyton told King: “Yeah, I probably will. I’m that angry.” 
 
 Of course, no lawsuit or any other strategy should be pursued based solely to diffuse anger. Filing a defamation case, which for a public figure involves a very high standard of proof, is one of the worst things to do in anger, because the pre-trial discovery process can lead to plenty of added frustration. Much of the plaintiff’s private life becomes fair game, with defense lawyers entitled to explore plenty of seemingly irrelevant facts in order to determine the plaintiff’s reputation before the alleged falsehood harmed the plaintiff’s image. Also, any claim for damages based on emotional distress arising from the false allegations invites a wide range of personal questions regarding other sources of stress in the plaintiff’s life, and regarding how the alleged stress from the defamatory statement affected overall happiness and well-being. 
 
 Before anyone gives Manning advice on how to proceed, someone needs to explain to him the potential consequences of suing. Presumably, someone explained to Manning the potential consequences of hiring Ari Fleischer to provide crisis-management P.R. advice — and the potential consequences of issuing (and cajoling the issuance of) multiple statements disputing the story. 
 
 If Manning had said nothing about the allegations, how many mainstream news outlets would have ignored it? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I decided not to mention it until Manning issued a statement denying it. If Manning, the Broncos, the Colts, Manning’s agent, and Dr. Dale Guyer had said nothing, there’s a chance that plenty of media outlets would have said nothing, too. 
 
 Before making a final decision on whether he’ll sue Al Jazeera or anyone else, Manning needs to consider the question of whether fighting the charge that publicly does more harm that good by: (1) making more and more people aware of the report; and (2) ensuring that it will remain a periodic part of the NFL news cycle for months.
– Amid a furious backlash, a key source behind an Al Jazeera report claiming Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning received supplies of human growth hormone has recanted the allegations. In a video statement, Charles Sly says that what he was recorded saying to undercover investigator Liam Collins about sending HGH to athletes, including Manning, is "false and incorrect," the Denver Post reports. Sly tells ESPN that contrary to what the documentary claims, he isn't a pharmacist and he wasn't at the Guyer Institute at the time Manning was being treated there. Sly says Collins, a former hurdler, had promised that he could make money as a consultant to injured European athletes and he was dropping names "to pull one over on Collins to see if he had any idea of what he was talking about." Clinic founder Dale Guyer tells ESPN that Sly, a former intern, clearly fabricated the allegations and Manning is "one of the most honorable and upstanding individuals I have had the pleasure of knowing." The Denver Broncos released a statement denouncing the "false claims," and the Indianapolis Colts added that "Peyton played the game in Indianapolis for 14 years the right way" and they hope his legacy won't be tarnished by a "crude effort to besmirch" his reputation. Manning—who earlier denounced the report as "complete garbage"—told NBC on Sunday that he's furious about the "defamation" and will probably sue. ESPN reports that lawyers for other athletes named in the report, including Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, are also planning to sue Al Jazeera.