Fact Check

Peyton Manning Arrested on Drug Charges?

Was NFL quarterback Peyton Manning arrested on drug charges?

Published May 19, 2014

Claim:

Claim:   NFL quarterback Peyton Manning was arrested on drug charges.


FALSE


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, May 2014]


Was quarterback Peyton Manning arrested in a Nashville drug bust?

 

Origins:   In May 2014, Nashville police announced they had arrested someone named Peyton Manning on felony drug charges, a headline that led many readers to believe the drug suspect was the Peyton Manning famous for being a star National Football League (NFL) quarterback who is a five-time league MVP and has helmed the backfield of the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos since entering the NFL in 1998. But, in fact, the Peyton Manning arrested by Nashville police was not a 38-year-old NFL quarterback but rather an 18-year-old woman of the same name:



Police in Nashville arrested Peyton Manning, but it wasn't the star quarterback.

This Manning is an 18-year-old woman facing two felony drug charges. She was arrested along with Kenneth Sowards, 18,

after an overnight traffic stop on Elm Hill Pike.

Police pulled Manning over after they saw her driving with her high beams on, according to her arrest warrant. The arresting officer smelled marijuana in the car.

When cops searched the car, they found two mason jars of pot as well as baggies of cocaine dissolving in a cup of Coca-Cola, according to the warrant.

Police also found text messages on Manning's phone that mentioned cocaine use and money in her purse that was consistent with bills used in a drug deal.

She was charged with possession of cocaine, pot and drug paraphernalia. She remains in jail on a $20,000 bond.

In addition to drug charges, Sowards also faces a charge of tampering with evidence for allegedly dumping cocaine into the Coke cup.


Last updated:   19 May 2014


Sources:




    Tamburin, Adam.   "Peyton Manning — No, Not That One — Arrested in Nashville."

    USA Today.   19 May 2014.


David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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