WASHINGTON - Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman sued the Al Jazeera television network for defamation on Tuesday over a report that he used a performance-enhancing drug.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, accuses the Qatar-based network of libel and invasion of privacy. Zimmerman is seeking punitive and other damages and a court order that Al Jazeera retract false and defamatory statements, according to the court filing.
Al Jazeera reported last month that Zimmerman and Ryan Howard, of the Philadelphia Phillies, along with some National Football League players, had received supplies of Delta-2, a banned hormone supplement.