Emboldened by legal victories over Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson, the league on Monday formally threatened four players implicated in the Dec. 29, 2015 Al Jazeera America report, “The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers,” with suspensions. In the report, five players—retired Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and free agent linebacker Mike Neal—were accused of using substances in contravention of both the law and the collectively bargained Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances. While the league in July announced that it “found no credible” evidence to support accusations that Manning used Human Growth Hormone, a letter sent by NFL senior vice president of labor policy and league affairs Adolpho Birch to the NFLPA on Monday demands greater cooperation from the other four players.
Understanding the NFL's motive to suspend players implicated by Al Jazeera report
