Report: Peyton Manning won't sue Al Jazeera over HGH report
The former NFL quarterback has reportedly decided to let sleeping dogs lie
By
Will Brinson
•
1 min read
When a stunning report from Al Jazeera emerged before the Super Bowl implicating Peyton Manning in an HGH scandal, the then-Broncos quarterback was adamant he would sue the news network.
Manning has reportedly changed his mind on that front, however. According to Christine Brennan of USA Today, in a column wondering why the NFL hasn't harassed the players named in the report, Brennan cites sources close to Manning who say the legendary quarterback won't be filing a lawsuit.
A person familiar with Manning's strategy who was not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY Sports in a recent conversation that the former quarterback has decided after a dozen conference calls with attorneys that he doesn't want to spend the time and money necessary to file a lawsuit that would make public the personal records and private lives of both he and his wife Ashley.
There will be plenty of skeptics questioning Manning's willingness to call the dogs off now that he's retired. But no one wants their medical records opened up for the entire viewing public to see (much less your wife's medical records).
There's also another reason Manning is slow-playing a potential lawsuit: Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals and Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies, both named in the Al Jazeera report, already filed suit against the media company.
Manning, as Brennan notes, can wait and see what happens with those lawsuits and then proceed accordingly. If Zimmerman and Howard have their respective cases dismissed, there's no chance Manning is wading into the legal waters (even if he might have a stronger case because of how it affected him).
As for the other NFL players named -- Clay Matthews, Mike Neal and Julius Peppers of the Packers, plus James Harrison of the Steelers -- the league has yet to speak with them.
Spokesman Joe Lockhart told Brennan, "It's our expectation that we will interview the players involved over the next month or so."
The union, which is part of the negotiations for how any investigation and interviews will be handled, didn't comment, but Lockhart said the two sides were working together.
So maybe eventually we see more about this, but don't expect it to involve Peyton Manning.
