One day it looks like Peyton Manning is exonerated from his 1996 incident at Tennessee, and another day paints another side of the story.
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On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated's MMQB had a bombshell post with Greg Johnson — Manning's former roommate — supporting Manning's side of the 1996 incident with Jamie Naughright in the Tennessee training room. Johnson says that he was there when the incident happened, and said the incident was nothing more than a juvenile mooning by Manning.
Well, the backup for Manning did not arrive on Thursday, as former teammate Tony Horne claimed that Johnson was not at the scene of the alleged incident. Horne — who is verified by both parties as being present during the incident — said the following to ESPN:
"I never saw him," said Horne, who has never spoken publicly about the incident. "I saw that story and I'm like, 'Greg Johnson?' I like Greg, but, sorry, I don't remember that."
This isn't the worst news for Manning, as Horne's sworn statements about the incident do not accuse Manning of any wrongdoing. However, it looks like the "bombshell" report that came from Greg Johnson is most likely not true, as not one person has gone on the record to confirm Johnson's presence in the Tennessee training room at the time.
For now, Manning will continue to try and move past this story, all while Tennessee faces a Title IX sexual assault lawsuit that cites several incident on Tennessee's campus over several years.
