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Al Jazeera's Second Source In Peyton Manning HGH Allegations Means The Story Won't Go Away

By Matt Dolloff

BOSTON (CBS) -- Of all the reasons for the national media to brush aside (or flat-out ignore) the allegations involving shipments of HGH to Peyton Manning's wife, one of the biggest was the dubious source of Al Jazeera's claims.

Never mind that so many pundits embarrassed themselves by dismissing Al Jazeera altogether (most likely because of their name). They were also quick to dispute the credibility of Charlie Sly, a former intern at the Guyer Institute in Indianapolis, who claimed while being secretly recorded for the documentary The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers that Manning had HGH shipped to his home in his wife's name.

To question Sly's statements is understandable, especially since he recanted his statements. But to question Sly as the source is to assume that Al Jazeera ran the story without vetting it through at least one other source. Now, Al Jazeera has been forced to reveal that they had a second source to confirm their report. Because obviously, they did all along.

CNN reporter Deborah Davies, who has stood her ground in the face of attacks on her report's credibility, revealed on CNN the existence of a second source who helped corroborate Sly's comments. Davies described the second source as "absolutely impeccably placed, knowledgeable, and credible." The source confirmed Sly's allegations that the Guyer Institute "repeatedly" shipped HGH to Manning's home in his wife's name.

For the record, Al Jazeera has made no direct allegations against Peyton, but the QB's possible connection to the story was heavily implied and neither Manning nor his agent ever denied the original allegation that Ashley Manning received repeated shipments of HGH.


SEE ALSO: 10 Important Things To Know (So Far) About The Peyton Manning HGH Allegations


The morning after news of the allegations first broke was as predictable as the sun coming up, as national media networks and Manning supporters across America were quick to back Peyton and unconditionally believe his vehement denial. Because when has an athlete ever been found guilty after strongly denying it?

It's fine that they questioned Al Jazeera's report. But to dismiss it altogether, for Jim Nantz to call it a "non-story," for Keyshawn Johnson to indiscriminately take Peyton at his word ... Did everyone in the national media suddenly take crazy pills?

If you dismiss Al Jazeera's report or the network entirely, you are assuming one or both of these things:

1. Al Jazeera America is a Middle Eastern propaganda network and not a credible news source
2. A Middle Eastern propaganda network would spend time investigating and reporting on use of HGH in (mostly) American sports
3. Al Jazeera would report serious allegations against several high-profile athletes with just one source, and a suspect one at that

The last one may be the most utterly obtuse of them all. It's one thing if you're misinformed and blindly swat down anything an Arabic-sounding news network says. It's another thing to assume they would simply take Sly's word for it and run a bombshell report on several pro athletes with just this one guy's unsubstantiated accusations. Obviously, they had other sources that confirmed their findings. And yes I say "sources" because in my opinion they have even more than just two sources. They simply haven't played all of their cards yet.


SEE ALSO: Peyton Manning Strongly Denies Report He Used HGH In 2011


Even nearly ten days after the story first dropped on the Huffington Post, there are still people like Boomer Esiason who blindly repudiate Al Jazeera's allegations because of the network's name. Yes, Al Jazeera's main branch in Qatar is known to be less than credible in the Middle East, but Al Jazeera America is about as credible as they come.

Al Jazeera has won several awards for both its investigative reporting and documentary production. They most recently received a prestigious Silver Baton from the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for their documentary "Hard Earned," which they will accept at a ceremony on January 16. Their 2015 program "Miners Shot Down" won Best Documentary at the International Emmy Awards. They have won six awards for various investigative pieces in just the past two years.

That's not to say that because those stories won awards, that means the HGH allegations are credible. That's to say that Al Jazeera can't simply be pushed aside as a disreputable source of news. That's to say that their allegations should be a story, whether true or not. That's to say that if their allegations are proven true, it opens up a whole new round of questions surrounding the Mannings that the media would no longer be able to ignore.

Al Jazeera has confirmed that a mysterious second source helped confirm their allegations against the Manning family. Manning supporters have lost one of their principal arguments against the report. And Al Jazeera hasn't lost a shred of credibility.

Through all this, I'm not even commenting on this story because it's a big deal or a shock that Peyton Manning may have used HGH. Yes, it's a banned substance, but it's not a violation that should destroy Peyton's legacy. I'm commenting on this story because, simply, it's a story, and one that was confirmed by multiple sources. To squash it as a "non-story" will not deter unsullied reporters from continuing to dig. And because ESPN will not continue to dig, it will take reputable, credible, award-winning, independent networks like Al Jazeera to uncover the truth.

Whether the HGH allegations turn out to be true or false, whether or not you think it matters to Peyton's legacy, it's a story that should be national news right now. It can't be ignored any longer.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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