Will Manning and HGH be a Superbowl Story?

[Bleedred]

Apologies if this is being covered in some other thread, but it's hard for me to conceive how the HGH story doesn't become very topical with 2 weeks between the Championship Games and the Superbowl. It will be an amazing feat if, given how little there is to write about, that this story doesn't get new life or am I just wishcasting?

Q for Peyton: "Peyton, if your wife needed the HGH, why not have her doctor in Denver prescribe it for her, rather than order it repeatedly from something known as the Guyer Institute"?

 

[mt8thsw9th]

No. What will be the story is how he battled back from temporarily losing his job to, gee golly, leading his team to the Super Bowl, all while heroically battling baseless accusations from an America-hating news source, accusations which have been thoroughly discredited by people such as himself.

 

[LogansDad]

Hahahahaha, we're so cute when we are bitter.

Also, no.

 

[Silverdude2167]

I needed a laugh this morning. Thanks for this.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Yeah, not at all. There's a strong unwillingness to believe the story nationwide.

 

[soxin6]

It should be if the media cared about treating athletes the same, but it won't be mentioned by anyone. The narrative for this Super Bowl is clear and that is everything that Manning has overcome to make another run towards greatness. The fact that Manning likely used HGH is not part of the tale that everyone wants to tell.

 

[DJnVa]

No. Let's move the fuck on.

 

[staz]

Microsoft TabletGate?

If the shoe was on the other foot, you know there would be a FULL INVESTIGATION

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Microsoft TabletGate?

If the shoe was on the other foot, you know there would be a FULL INVESTIGATION

Of course there would be. But since it happened to the Pats, nothing will be done, in part because Belichick isn't going to pull a Tomlin and bitch about it at the post-game presser.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

This only becomes a story (at any time, let alone this week) if some independent evidence gets added to what we already know. So unless someone digs up some shipping labels, gets another interview from a more connected source, govt gets involved, etc., this thing stays where its at, which is selectively off the radar of those that choose what goes on their radar.

 

[Van Everyman]

I disagree w most on this thread. No, I wouldn't hold out much hope for a more "credible" news organization (read: a news organization with an English name) making a big splash out of the facts as they are known to date.

But if someone is holding something on this, even AJA, and drops it in the next two weeks, you bet it will be a story. That's not to say the Nantzes and Claytons of the world won't try their best to ignore it. But if someone drops a big new juicy fact, like documentation or something to that effect, I believe the story will absolutely take hold. The clicks will be too tempting to ignore.

Edit: or what PMB said -- had forgotten about the "government is now investigating" angle

 

[Ed Hillel]

Yeah, not at all. There's a strong unwillingness to believe the story nationwide.

Haha Peyton owned you.

 

[AB in DC]

[[jingle]] H-G-H was for my wife [[/jingle]]

 

[Buffalo Head]

Do you all really believe the reason is because its Peyton? Don't you think its far more likely there's no appetite for this because it requires peeling away at the PED onion in the NFL and no one really wants to go there?

 

[Buffalo Head]

DP

 

[Marciano490]

Do you all really believe the reason is because its Payton? Don't you think its far more likely there's no appetite for this because it requires peeling away at the PED onion in the NFL and no one really wants to go there?

PED and painkillers. Something about the use of painkillers seems sadder than just juicing, to me at least.

 

[AB in DC]

Also because the report specifically implicate's Manning's wife as much as Peyton himself. I don't think there's any appetite in going after any player's wife, honestly.

 

[nothumb]

I feel kinda vaguely bitter about this in the same way that I hate all the dominant narratives about the NFL and the Pats, but even if Peyton somehow guts out a SB win and people start calling him the GOAT again, I'm just not personally willing to make the emotional investment necessary to let this bother me. Being a fan is no fun if we have to turn everything into some kind of existential conflict over truth and fairness and whatever. Peyton is just some awwshucks jamoke rich dbag in a sea of rich dbags who happened to come out on top.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Do you all really believe the reason is because its Peyton? Don't you think its far more likely there's no appetite for this because it requires peeling away at the PED onion in the NFL and no one really wants to go there?

Did you hear Nantz' initial reaction when the story first came out? It was all about who the target was and not at all about peeling away the PED onion. Peyton is their sacred cow.

 

[Buffalo Head]

Jim Nantz? Who does he write for?

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

CBS, silly.

His appalled reaction on national TV helped to set the tone that this was always going to be considered not worth pursuing as a story.

 

[Seabass]

Did you hear Nantz' initial reaction when the story first came out? It was all about who the target was and not at all about peeling away the PED onion. Peyton is their sacred cow.

I think it's half this, and half that it's Al Jazeera. If Quinnipiac asked 700 likely Super Bowl viewers whether they support drone strikes on AJ's headquarters in Doha, you'd hit 30% easily.

 

[grsharky7]

Won't be a peep, so don't waste your time waiting for it. As said above, the narrative has been written and it has nothing to do with HGH. With that being said I would love to see the Broncos get the same "distraction" as the Pats did last year, but it won't happen.

 

[lexrageorge]

Did you hear Nantz' initial reaction when the story first came out? It was all about who the target was and not at all about peeling away the PED onion. Peyton is their sacred cow.

I'd say the target is somewhere between one-half and 75% of the reason. Noone cares if the 7th round draft pick gets suspended for PED use.

The remainder is that opening an investigation of star players using PED's of any kind is a hornets nest that noone affiliated with the NFL wants to kick. Bottom line is that Manning is to HGH as Lance Armstrong was to PED abuse among Tour De France competitors. For those wondering why Armstrong's titles were not awarded to the next runner up, it's because all the notable runner ups had been similarly disqualified (and awarding the yellow jersey to the 40th place winner just doesn't feel right).

Disclaimer: I am not defending Manning or the mediots treatment of him. Just stating a what I feel is a very likely scenario regarding PED use in the NFL.

 

[JimD]

This only becomes a story (at any time, let alone this week) if some independent evidence gets added to what we already know. So unless someone digs up some shipping labels, gets another interview from a more connected source, govt gets involved, etc., this thing stays where its at, which is selectively off the radar of those that choose what goes on their radar.

This. That said, I'm doubtful there is more to it. If Al Jazeera had a bombshell follow-up that would have pushed Peyton and his sympathizers back onto their heels, a report would have been released before they shut down their American news organization.

 

[ishmael]

Also because the report specifically implicate's Manning's wife as much as Peyton himself. I don't think there's any appetite in going after any player's wife, honestly.

Debbie Clemens says hi.

 

[Buffalo Head]

CBS, silly.

His appalled reaction on national TV helped to set the tone that this was always going to be considered not worth pursuing as a story.

Maybe it's me, but I don't think Jim Nantz sets the tone for anything except how nice the flowers look in Augusta.