Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard are fighting back against claims that they used steroids. Both players have filed lawsuits against Al Jazeera, claiming defamation.
Those steroid allegations came to light in a recent Al Jazeera documentary, "The Dark Side," which linked Zimmerman and Howard to a clinic that allegedly distributed steroids and HGH. The documentary also linked Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning to the clinic.
Zimmerman and Howard initially threatened legal action against the network after the documentary, and they will follow through with that plan. The two of them have the same lawyer, William Burck, so their lawsuits both came down early Tuesday evening.
Zimmerman's lawsuit, which has been posted by Reuters, claims the following:
"... Defendants publicly smeared Mr. Zimmerman with false and unsubstantiated allegations of performance-enhancing drug use, based on uncorroborated accusations by a third party that had been unequivocally recanted prior to Defendants’ publication. Defendants knew full well that their “source” had recanted his scandalous and untrue allegations against Mr. Zimmerman but, abdicating all journalistic responsibilities, Defendants nonetheless chose to publish their defamatory story in an attempt to stir scandal and increase Al Jazeera’s low ratings, no matter the cost to Mr. Zimmerman."
Zimmerman's suit also says "Mr. Zimmerman has never taken Delta 2, human growth hormone, or any other steroid or other performance-enhancing substance banned by the MLB," according to Washington Post reporter Barry Svrluga.
Howard will also sue, according to Jim Salisbury of Comcast Sportsnet. Through his representatives, Howard released a statement saying:
"Today I authorized my attorneys to file suit against Al Jazeera and its reporters. Their irresponsible reporting forced me to take this action to protect my name and to fight back against the spreading of these lies. I will have no further comment, as the filing itself contains all I need to say."
In the Al Jazeera documentary titled "The Dark Side," Charlie Sly, who is called a "doctor of pharmacy," claims Zimmerman used a banned substance called Delta-2.
Speaking to a hidden camera, Sly claimed to have worked with Zimmerman during the offseason, and that Zimmerman believes Delta-2 "does its job." He said similar things about Howard, claiming Howard "knows to take stuff twice a day," and that Howard experienced "more explosiveness" when using Delta-2. Prior to the documentary being released, Sly recanted every statement he made to Al Jazeera.
In the aftermath, Manning denied claims he had used HGH and threatened to sue the network. Now that Howard and Zimmerman have filed, it will be interesting to see if some of the other parties named do the same. Manning is the biggest NFL player to be mentioned, but Sly also named Mike Neal, Dustin Keller and James Harrison as alleged users of Delta-2 in the documentary.
Defamation is considered a difficult thing to prove, especially when it involves public figures. So it's unclear whether Howard and Zimmerman actually have a strong case. They would have to prove that Al Jazeera had malicious intent to defame them.
If anything, filing helps with their public perception. Howard and Zimmerman not only denied the claims, but have decided to fight them in court. If they are willing to go that far, perhaps people will be more likely to believe they are innocent. Or if the case actually goes anywhere, perhaps they will be deemed innocent in court.
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