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NFL clears Green Bay Packers' Clay Matthews, two others in PED probe

By The Sports Xchange
Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) gets a high-five. Photo by David Tulis/UPI
Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) gets a high-five. Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo

The NFL has cleared Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers over an Al-Jazeera America documentary that linked them to performance-enhancing drugs.

The league announced Wednesday that it "found no credible evidence" the three players were provided with or used substances prohibited under the NFL-NFLPA Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances following an investigation into the allegations.

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The three players participated in interviews last week at their team facilities.

The meetings stemmed from the Al-Jazeera report that named Harrison, Matthews and Peppers and former Packers linebacker Mike Neal as players who received performance-enhancing drugs from an anti-aging clinic in Indianapolis. The allegations against the players were made by former clinic employee Charles Sly, who later recanted his story.

Initiated in January, the investigation was led by the NFL's security and legal teams with support from expert consultants and other professionals, the league said. The investigation involved witness interviews, a review of relevant records and other materials, electronic research, and laboratory analysis and review.

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Neal also met with NFL investigators last week in Chicago, but he was not mentioned in the announcement by the league.

The NFL last month cleared retired quarterback Peyton Manning, also named in the report, after he cooperated with the league following the investigation. Manning retired after his Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50 in February.

Harrison had repeatedly criticized the process, taking a verbal swipe at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell by calling him "that crook."

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