For those as dumb as I am, HGH stands for human growth hormone. It's kind of like a steroid, and definitely a no-no in the world of sports these days. The Omaha man, AKA Peyton Manning, was recently kinda sorta implicated as having used HGH somewhere along the line.
Of course Manning denied it. But that's the thing. He was hit regardless of his guilt or innocence. Manning could have stayed mum, much like Bill Cosby has regarding the various allegations of sexual misconduct that he's been accused of in recent years. He chose instead to take the Raphael Palmeiro stance, look into the camera, and vehemently deny any wrongdoing. We know how that eventually turned out for Raffie, and Lance, and a few other sports notables. There are others, like Roger and Barry, that were never found guilty of squat, but many THINK they were dirty. This is the result of media hype and a gullible public that has been brainwashed over the years into believing anybody accused of any crime -- must be guilty. It's not always so.
To a much lesser degree, Peyton Manning having his name tied to possible HGH use is akin to a man/woman being accused of child molesting. It doesn't matter if they can eventually prove their complete innocence (which in itself is a travesty of morality -- much less justice -- one is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty -- not the other way around). But that is what it's come to in recent times. An athlete "tied" to PEDs or a citizen named as a "person of interest" in a child molestation case is forever tainted.
Peyton might well have been squeaky clean throughout his career. And John or Jane Doe might have been 100 miles away, with witnesses to prove it, when the youthful victim was sexually abused. God help the latter if they were just sitting alone at home watching TV at the time of the crime and therefore have no "alibi". In the twisted, arm-chair crazy prosecutor system that ours has become -- they have a problem.
Even if they're eventually rightfully and totally vindicated/exonerated of any wrongdoing, the stain will remain. Their friends, coworkers and neighbors will never look at them quite the same. Why would John/Jane be accused of such a horrible thing? -- they'd wonder. They must have done something. And that's just wrong, but it's also reality.
Peyton Manning, being who is/was a role model to some, might survive this loose cannon allegation. But if a second one arises from a different source, true or not, Manning might find himself in perception trouble with the public.
On a lighter note it's reminiscent of a couple commercials of old. Remember Memorex and their audio tapes? Ella Fitzgerald shattered a glass with her voice, and the replay of the tape could do the same thing. Their tag line was -- "Is it live, or is it Memorex?". Well, guess what? One could record the soft cooing of an infant in his/her crib, but amplify it loud enough with ampzilla speakers, and one could blow out every window in the neighborhood. Who was kidding who? Shortly thereafter, Memorex got bought up by another outfit. Now they're into something called "blue tooth". If Ella's screeching wasn't bad enough -- who the hell wants blue teeth?
And Clairol, the hair dye folks. Evidently they've talked millions of women into changing the color of their hair over and over again for decades. Most men are befuddled by this phenomenon, though some appreciate it at some level. If their significant other was a brunette yesterday and has suddenly become a blond, perhaps it allows certain fantasies to run wild, if even for a very short time.
Nonetheless, Clairol used to employ the line -- "Is she, or isn't she? Only her hairdresser knows for sure". Right, except for those pesky tell tale roots that will show up in a few weeks. It's kind of like having a vehicle painted a different color every month or so. It's a lot of time, effort, and expense to go through for a cosmetic change -- but it's still the same damn car. Changing it from brown to red isn't going to make it run any smoother or get better mileage.
But like Clairol, Peyton is now in the category of -- "Did he or didn't he? -- only his pharmacist knows for sure".
I hope it's not true, and will steadfastly believe so until and unless the snipers that be come up with a whole lot more than they had on Barry and Roger. Those guys were convicted in the court of public opinion only, remember?
That wasn't right either.
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